LIBRAR^^^F^ONGRESS. 

©lapES^dnp^rig^ |n 

Slielf_B..5;2 

UNITED STATES^)f^EjjjcA. 



THE POPULAR HISTORY 



OF THE 



CIVIL WAR IN AMERICA 



(1861-1865.) 



A COMPLETE NARRATIVE OF EVENTS, MILITARY, NAVAL. POLITI- 
CAL AND CONGRESSIONAL, THAT OCCURRED DURING 
THE WAR FOR THE UNION, WITH FULL IN- 
FORMATION AS TO THE CAUSES WHICH 
BROUGHT ON THE REBELLION. 



/ 
BY CAPT. GEORCE B. HERBERT, 

Journalist, of Philadelphia, Pa., and Author of " The fapanese in 

Philadelphia,'' '' Life of Gen. W.S.Hancock,'' 

" Guiteaii, the Assassin'' Etc. 



WITH PORTRAITS AND NUMEROUS OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS. 

NEW YORK: V^-. 

No. 3 Park Place. 
1884. 




COPYRIGHT, 1884. 
BY F. M. LUPTON. 



A^^ 
<^^- . 

^ 1^^ 



PREFACE. 



Nearly twenty years have sped silently away since the closing 
scenes of the Civil War in America, were enacted, and those 
years, while they have silvered the locks of men who were par- 
ticipants in, or spectators of, the titanic fraternal conflict, have 
brought to man's estate, or to the very verge of it, almost a 
nation of young Americans, who were sleeping sweetly in 
swaddling clothes, while their mothers were waiting, watching 
and weeping over the news from the various battle-fields. It 
is to these budding citizens, more especially, that we address 
and dedicate this volume, in the humble though fervent hope 
that its pages may give them a fair knowledge and thorough 
appreciation of the great principles involved in the stupendous 
and costly National struggle which the cynical cant of the 
present day too frequently alludes to as "the recent unpleas- 
antness." There have been more ponderous tomes, of inesti- 
mable value to the leisurely student, produced by profound schol- 
ars and competent critics on this all-absorbing theme; there have 
been also skeleton " apologies for a History of the Civil War," 
serving the purpose only of giving the booksellers something 
to sell. Between these two there is a great gulf. The average 
reader shrinks from the task of hunting for crisp facts amid 
the thickets of theory and comment in the more pretentious 
volumes, and he turns away hungry for information after 
scanning a mere cartoon of a battle picture. We cpnnot hope 
to fill the chasm entirely, but trust that honest effort, siii> 
plementing a well-defined purpose, may succeed in throwing a 
pontoon bridge over it. 

It would be well-nigh impossible to present an absolutely 
accurate and perfectly full report of a war of such magnitude, 
extending over so wide an area and embracing so long a period, 



xii PREFACE. 

and at the same time to enter fully upon the underlying polit- 
ical details, within the proposed limits of this work ; but it is 
competent, by judicious selection, by condensation where 
permissible, and by amplihcation where expedient or necessary, 
to produce a history at once instructive and interesting. This 
we have essayed to do. What measure of success we have 
achieved must be determined by the verdict of our readei*s, to 
whom we " submit the case without argument." It may not 
be a i)roof of our excess of modesty, but, we desire to add that 
we do not even throw ourself upon the merciful consideration of 
the Court. Nor will we appeal to the sympathies or prejudices 
of the jury, lest, like the immortal twelve wiseacres of Dymn- 
church, they should bring in a verdict acquitting the defend- 
ant but recommending him to mercy, or, like the modern 
juries of Pennsylvania (especially those of Bucks County), they 
should sagely acquit, but put the costs of the trial upon the 
prisoner. We decline a vindication on any such terms. 

In all seriousness, however, we feel that our little volume 
contains a fair resume of the causes which led to the war, the 
salient events of the campaigns, some essential comments and 
explanations and liberal pictorial embellishment, calculated to 
make it a covetable possession. So far as it is possible for 
human nature to be unbiased, or unprejudiced, we have 
endeavored to maintain the even tenor of our views amid the 
exciting, and sometimes irritating, narratives of bitter misun- 
derstandings, mutual jealousies and sanguinary conflicts with 
which the records of American history abound during the 
period we have been considering. We have endeavored to 
avoid equally offensive epithets and excessive laudation, but 
have felt compelled, however, occasionally, to call a spade a 
spade, in plain, honest American fashion ; for this we claim 
immunity, on the grounds that this is a free country, and that, 
therefore, we have a right to our own oiDinions while our read- 
ers have the undoubted privilege of dissenting at their own 
option. All of which, as our late lamented Lincoln would 
have remarked, reminds us of an anecdote. Singularly 
enough, it relates to an experience of the martyr in ques- 
tion, and was narrated by him in the following words : 



PREFACE. XIU 

*' One day, when I first came here (Springfield, 111.), I got 
into a fit of musing in my room, and stood resting my 
elbows on the bureau. Looking into the glass, it struck 
me what an awfully ugly man I was. The fact grew on me, 
and I made up my mind that I must be the ugliest man in 
the world. It so maddened me that I resolved, should I ever 
see an uglier, I would shoot him at sight. Not long after this, 

Andy (naming a lawyer present), came to town, and the 

first time I saw him I said to myself: ' There's the man.' I went 
home, took down my gun, and prowled around the streets 
waiting for him. He soon came along. ' Halt, Andy,' said I, 
pointing my gun at him, ' say your jjrayers, for I'm going to 
shoot you.' ' Why, Mr. Lincoln, what's the matter; what have 
I done ? ' ' Well, I made an oath that if ever I saw a man 
uglier than I am I'd shoot him on the spot. You are uglier, 
sure ; so make ready to die.' ' Mr. Lincoln, do you really 
think that I am uglier than you? 'Yes! 'Well, Mr. Lin- 
coln,' replied Andy, deliberately, and looking me squarely in the 
face, ' if I am any uglier, fire aicay .' '" 

For the application of this we would simply remark, if you 
find any other history of the Civil War in condensed, compact, 
handy form, raore replete with military, political and social in- 
cident — shut us up — we deserve it ! 



/^.<£¥e^ 




Philadelphia, July, 1884. 



CONTENTS. 



PAQE. 
CHAPTER T. 
Introductory— Early Indications of Discontent— Gradual Development 
of Sectional Interests— Causes of the Civil Strife— The State Rights 
Theory— John C. Calhoun and Nvdliflcation— The Tariff and Slavery 
Questions— Brief Review of Presidential Succession— Election of 
Abraham Lincoln— Preparing for War, . . . . .21 

CHAPTER n. 
Secession Spreading— The Various Ordinances— Treachery in the 
Cabinet— Anderson and Fort Sumter— His Heroic Action— Confeder- 
ate Diplomatic Overtures— Cabinet Changes— The Treachery of 
Twiggs— Close of Buchanan's Administration, . . . .32 

CHAPTER III. 
Biographical Sketch of Abraham Lincoln— His Eventful Journey from 
His Home to the National Capital — Plots for His Assassination — The 
Conspirators Foiled— Intrigues at Washington— Precautions Agaicst 
Revolution— Lincoln's Inauguration— Abstract of his Address, . 51 

CHAPTER IV. 
Composition of Lincoln's Cabinet — Another Attempt at Southern Diplo- 
macy—The Overtures Rejected— Affairs in Charleston Harbor— The 
Attack on Fort Sumter— Its Gallant Defense by Anderson— Peril of the 
Little Garrison— Its Evacuation on April 14th, . . . . 57 

CHAPTER V. 
Lincoln's First Call for Troops- The Quotas of the States— Secession 
Refusals to Respond— The Fatal Riot in Baltimore— First Bloodshed of 
the War- The Evacuation of Harper's Ferry— Spread of Confederate 
Sentiment— Lying Rumors of Defections— An Early Specimen of 
Repudiation Doctrines, ....... 67 

CHAPTER VL 
Intermediary Events— The Responses of the Loyal States— Unionists 
Rallyicg Round the Flag— Men and Money for Government Aid- 
Excitement in Philadelphia— Meetiners Elsewhere— Spread of Southern 
Secession— Jottings of Events Among the Confederates, . . 77 

CHAPTER VII. 
Further Outrages at Baltimore— Burning of the Railroad Bridges— Cap- 
ture of the Gosport Navy Yard— Butler Moves on Baltimore— The City 



CONTENTS. XV 

PAGE. 

Occupied by Federal Troops— The Split in Virginia— Union Sentiment 
in the Mountain Counties— Organization of West Virginia— The Habeas 
Corpus Act Disregarded, ....••• 84 

CHAPTER VIII. 
The Federal Forces Cross the Potomac— Occupation of Alexandria— As- 
sassination of Colonel Ellsworth— General George B. McClellan— The 
Battle of Philippi— Butler at Fortress Monroe— The Blunder at Big 
Bethel— Butler's Report— Confederate Accounts, . . . 100 

CHAPTER IX. 

Lincoln's Second Call for Troops— The Condition of the Navy— The 
Special Session of the Thirty-seventh Congress -Abstract of Lincoln's 
Message— Extracts from Davis' Confederate Message— Proceedings 
in Congress— Expulsion of Members on Treason Charges— Opposition 
Tactics of the Minority— The Government Sustained— Vigorous Prepa- 
rations for War— Adjournment of Congress, .... 114 

CHAPTER X. 
The Battles of Falling Waters, Rich Mountain and Carrick's Ford— 
The Skirmish at Screy town— The First Battle of Bull Run— Official 
Reports— Narrative of an Eye-witness— Terrible Scenes of the Retreat 
—General McClellan Begins to Organize the Army of the Potomac, . 143 

CHAPTER XI. 
Movements in Missouri— Governor Jackson's Defiance— McCuUough's 
Texan Rangers-the battle of Carthage-Engagement at Dug Sprmg 
—Battle of Wilson's Creek- Death of Gen. Lyon— Frem nt's Opera- 
tions in St. Louis— Martial Law Proclaimed throughout Missouri, . 156 

CHAPTER Xn. 

General Butler at Fortress Monroe— Relieved by Gen. Wool— The Burn- 
ing of the Village of Hampton— Magruder Baffled— Butler Assiunes 
the Offensive— Capture of Forts Hatteras and Clark— Capitulation of 
the Garrisons— Events and Occurrences of a General Character, . 166 

CHAPTER XIII. 
Movements in Missouri— The Siege of Lexington— Heroism of the Fed- 
erals—Barbarism of the Confederates— Attack on Sick and Dying in the 
Hospital— Sm-render of Mulligan's Camp— General Ulysses S. Grant at 
Paducah— His Dash on Belmont— Fremont Superseded— Summary 
of Subsequent Movements, ....••• 17^ 

CHAPTER XIV. 
Operations in Western Virginia— The Battle of Camifex Ferry-Death 
of Colonel Lowe— Floyd's Hasty Flight— Attack on the Summit Post- 
Repulse of the Confederates— The Kanawha Valley Cleared of In- 
truders—Movements of McClellan— The Disastrous Battle of Ball's 
Bluff, 180 



XVI CONTENTS. 

PAGE. 

CHAPTER XV. 
Naval Movements— An Incident of To-Day— Fate of tlie Harriet Lane — 
Engagements Around Hatteras — The Affair of Santa Rosa Island — 
Bombardment of Pensacola — The Expedition to Port Royal— Capture 
of Forts Walker and Beauregard— TJae Confederates Driven from the 
South Carolina Coast — Attempted Blockade of Cnarlesfcon Harbor, . 180 

CHAPTER XVI. 
The Close of 1861— Permanent Congress of the Confederate States— Cab- 
inet Changes — Specimen of Judah P Benjamin's Consistency —Priva- 
teering— The Trent Affair— Capture of Mason and Slidell— Diplomatic 
Correspondence — The Prisoners Released, .... 194 

CHAPTER XVn. 
Condition of Affairs in January, 1SG2— Exertions of the Secessionists in 
Kentucky— The Forces at Bowling Green— Garfield's Victory at Pres- 
tonburg— The Battle of Mill Spring -Death of Zollicoffer— The Burn- 
side and Goldsborough Expeditions— Capture of Roanoke Island — 
Other North Carolina Victories, ...... 200 

CHAPTER XVIII. 
Important Movements on the Cumbirland and Tennessee Rivers— 
Foote's Flotilla— Capture of Forts Henry and Donels on -Evacuation 
of Columbus— The '' Gibraltar of the West "—General Grant's Brilliant 
Achievements— Cowardice of Floyd and Pillow- The New Fortifica- 
tions on the Mississippi— New Madrid and Island Number Ten, . . 207 

CHAPTER XIX. 
Inaction of the Army of the Potomac— Lincoln's Annoyance— McClellan's 
Obstinacy- A General Movement Ordered— Advance of McClellan on 
Yorktown— Siege Operations Begun— The Merrimack, or Virginia, and 
the Monitor— The Unique Naval Combat in Hampton Roads, . . 216 

CHAPTER XX. 
The Confederates Abandon New Madrid— Siege and Captm-e of Island 
Number Ten— The Wonderful Canal Constiuction— Grant Moves on 
Corinth- The Two Days' Battle of Shiloh, or Pittsburgh Landing— The 
Confederates Finally Driven Back on Corinth— Siege of Corinth — 
Beauregard's I'light— Occupation of Corinth by the Federals, . . 225 

CHAPTER XXI 
Stonewall Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley— Operations before York- 
town — Evacuation of Yorktown— Battle of Williamsburg— Flight of 
the Confederates across the Chickahommy— Surrender of Norfolk- 
Opening the Navigation of the James River, .... 237 

CHAPTER XXII. 
Capture of Memphis— Battle of New Berne— Operations along the Caro- 
lina Coasts— Capture of Fort Pulaski— Dupont and Sherman in Florida 
—Butler and Farragut on the Mississippi— Operations against Forts 



CONTENTS. XVii 

PAGE. 

Jackson and St. Philip— Capture of New Orleans— Occupation of the 
City by General ButJer, . . ..... 244 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

Stonewall Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley— Fight at Winchester- 
Battle of Cross Keys— McClellaa Before Richmond— Retrograde Move- 
ment to the James River— The Battle of Glendale— The Fitz John Por- 
ter Affair— Battle of Groveton— General Pope Relieved of His Com- 
mand, . ......... 253 

CHAPTER XXIV 
Affairs in Kentucky and Mississippi— Guei-rilla Morgan's Raids— The 
Confederates Capture Lexington and Frankfort— Bragg Retreats into 
Tennessee— General Buell Relieved— General Rosecrans in Command 
of the Army of the Cumberland— The Battles at Murfreesboro— Some 
Very Heavy Fighting, ........ 272 

CHAPTER XXV. 

The Battle of luka— Movements Around Corinth— Grant's Communica- 
tion Severed at Holly Springs— General Sherman at Memphis— The 
Attack on Vicksburg— Failure of the Movement— Burnside with the 
Army of the Potomac— Abortive Attack on Fredericksburg— Burnside 
Relieved of His Command, ....... 278 

CHAPTER XXVI. 
President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation— Full Text of the Most 
Important State Paper in the History of the United States— Effects of 
Its Promulgation- Condition of the Federal Finances— Further Calls 
for Troops— Demoralized Condition of Confederate Affairs, . . 284 

CHAPTER XXVII. 
Running Summary of the Earlier Military Movements in 1863— Siege of 
Vicksburg— Surrender of Vicksburg by General Pemberton— Guerrilla 
Morgan's Raids— His Capture, Imprisonmenl; and Escape— The Glori- 
ous Federal Achievements at Lookout Mountain and Missionary 
Ridge, 291 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 
Hooker with the Army of the Potomac— Disastrous Fight at Chancellors- 
ville-Death of "Stonewall" Jackson- Capture of the Heights at 
Fredericksburg— Lee's Dash Into Pennsylvania and Maryland— Cap- 
ture of Winchester by the Confederates— Hooker Superseded by Gen- 
eral Meade, ......... 304 

CHAPTER XXIX. 
The Confederate Invasion of Pennsylvania and Maryland— Meade's 
Movements to Check Lee's Advance -Battle of Gettysburg— Defeat 
of the Confederates— Meade's Leisurely Pursuit— Engagement at 
Mine Run— Both Armies in Winter Quarters— Close of 1863— Personal 
Narrative cf the Swamp Angel's Construction, . . . .312 



XVUl CONTENTS. 

PAQE. 

CHAPTER XXX. 
Early Movements in 1864— Greneral Shermau's Expedition from Vicks- 
burg— Capture of Fort Pillow by the Confederates— Brutal Massacre 
under Orders of General Forrest— The Red River Expedition— Failure 
of the Movement— Colonel Bailey's Remarkable Engineering on the 
Red River— General Bai'ks Superseded by General Canby, . . 388 

CHAPTER XXXI. 
The Rank tf Lieutenant-General Revived— General U. S, Grant made 
General-in-Chief— Retirement of General Halleck— Preparing for a 
Vigorous Closing Campaign— General Sherman's Movements— The 
Two Battles Before Atlanta — Sherman's Occupation of Atlanta — Total 
Destruction of Hood's Army—"Marching Through Georgia," . . 334 

CHAPTER XXXn. 

Sherman's "March to the Sea "—A Glorious War Record— The Confed- 
erates Swept by a Federal Broom— Savannah Captured — Movements 
in the Carolinas— Capture of Charleston— Surrender of the Confed- 
erate General Johnston— Capture of Mobile — Record of the Confederate 
Privateers— The Beginning of the End, ..... 344 

CHAPTER XXXm 
Reorganization of the ri.rmy of the Potomac— Battle of the Wilderness- 
Battle of Spottsylvania Court House— Battle of Cool Arbor — Opera- 
tions Before Petersburg— Movements in the Valley of the Shenandoah 
—Battle of Cedar Creek— Sheridan's Famous Ride from Winchester— 
The Army in Winter Quarter?, ...... 361 

CHAPTER XXXIV 
Events of 1865— The Closing Scenes of the War— Desperate Attempts of 
the Beleagured Confederates— Evacuation and Bm-ning of Richmond 
—Occupation of Petersburg— Surrender of Lee to Grant— Dispersion 
of the Army of Northern Virginia— Closing Battle at Palmetto Ranch, 
Texas— End of the War, . . . . . . . 376 

CHAPTER XXXV. 
Political Matters— Lincoln's Re-election— The Great Conspiracy— Assas- 
sination of President Lincoln— Attempt on the Liie of Secretary Sew- 
ard— Flight and Capture of J. Wilkes Booth, the Assassin— Capture, 
Trial and Execution of the Conspirators— Capture of Jeff Davis— Con- 
clusion, ....... . . 387 

Appendix, ......... 414 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



John Caldwell Calhoun, 

Stephen A. Douglas, 

Jefferson Davis, 

Alexander H. Stephens, 

Major Robert Anderson, 

Sand Bag Battery at Fort Moultrie, 

Scene of the Inauguration, 

William H. Seward, . 

P. G. T. Beauregard, 

Fort Sumter after the Bombardment, 

The Rebel Flag, 

Destruction of the Bridge over Gunpowder Creek, 

Union Square, New York, on the 20th of April, 1861, 

General Benjamin F. Butler, 

Annapolis Junction in 1861, 

Federal Hill, . 

Colonel E. E. Ellsworth, 

Ellsworth Zouaves, 

General George B. McClellan, 

Carrick's Ford, 

Bull's Run Battle Ground, 

General Franz Sigel, 

Bvuming of Hampton, 

Fort Hatteras, 

Pontoon Bridge at Paducah, 

Ulysses S. Grant, 

General Robert E. Lee, 

A Hand Litter, 

Foote's Flotaia, 

A Mortar Boat, . , , . . 

Engagement between the Monitor and Merrimack, 

Constructing the Canal, .... 

Shiloh Meeting House, . . . , . 

Burumg Horses near Pittsburg Landing, 

Thomas J. (^Stonewall) Jackson, 

General Nathaniel P. Banks, 

General Joseph Hooker, . " . 



PAGE. 

24 

29 

36 

37 

41 

45 

54 

57 

59 

65 

67 

84 

89 

91 

92 

95 

100 

101 

104 

136 

147 

159 

167 

169 

176 

177 

181 

503 

207 

211 

222 

226 

229 

234 

238 

239 

240 



XX 



LIST OP ILLUSTRATION 



General Philip Kearny, 

General James Longstreet, 

David G. Farragut, 

Reconuoitering, .... 

General Ambrose E. Burnside, 

Pickets on Duty, 

Grant's Headquarters at Chattanooga, 

General Hugh Judson Kilpatrick, 

General George G. Meade, . 

General AVin field S. Hancock, 

General William T. Sherman, 

Ruins of Charleston, 

Place of Johnston's Surrender to Sherman, 

General Philip H. Sheridan, 



PAGE. 

241 
242 
248 
260 
280 
296 
298 
310 
313 
315 
329 
347 
351 
S64 



THE POPULAR HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 



CHAPTER I. 

INTRODUCTORY— EARLY INDICATIONS OF DISCONTENT — GRADUAL DEVELOPMENT 
OF SECTIONAL INTERESTS — CAUSES OF THE CIVIL STRIFE — THE STATE 
RIGHTS THEORY— JOHN C. CALHOUN AND NULLIFICATION— THE TARIFF AND 
SLAVERY QUESTIONS— BRIEF REVIEW OF PRESIDENTIAL SUCCESSION— ELEC- 
TION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN— PREPARING FOR WAR. 

Even the hoarse echoes of the cannon's thunder and the 
clash of steel have sunk to sleep ; the fretful murmurs of semi- 
satiated passion and i3rejudice which succeeded the savage 
frenzy of murderous hate have even been hushed, and the 
timid tenders of reconciliation have been supplanted by an 
eager anxiety to proffer and respond warmly to fraternal greet- 
ings among the citizens of all sections throughout the now 
happily re-United States. It is therefore opportune to present 
a concise, impartial narrative of one of the most important 
episodes in the history of modern civilization and the develop- 
ment of human liberty. The term episode is not inappropriate 
in connection with so stupendous an affair as the Civil War in 
America, since it was, despite its costly magnitude, whether 
the basis of calculation be that of niere money or those price- 
less elements, human life and human blood, but one of the 
incidents of the conflict of opinions which began mth the adop- 
tion of the Constitution of this Republic. 

For the greater part of a century the exigencies of National 
development were such that the germs of disaffection found no 
sun of popular feeling to warm them into life and action. They 
were latent, however, and as surely as the scrub oaks appear 
when the lofty pines are felled and cleared, so the sturdy sprout- 
ings of innate discontent were manifested when social and com- 



32 HiSTORT OF THE CI"VIL WAR. 

mercial success had crowned the untiring efforts of a generation 
of unselfish, patriotic impulses. 

But enough of generalization. The causes of the Civil War — 
call it Uebellion if you wiU, deem it Secession if you please — had 
their origin in but one Hydra-headed element, commonly known 
as State Rights. From the sovereign citizen to the sovereign 
State, w^as an easy transition in popular or personal opinion ; 
from property in slaves to property interests in relation to tariff 
legislation, it was even yet more easy to turn, and therefore, 
Nullification, the earliest exemplar of the latent controversy, is 
entitled to but subjunctive rank among the cohorts of dissatis- 
faction. It was, however, the touchstone of the entire matter, 
and consequently we must begin our history by rapidly recount- 
ing the legislation which led up to the bold attempt of John C. 
Calhoun, of South Carolina, in 1832, to sap the integrity of the 
Union. 

As early as 1812, Calhoun, when taunted by Rear Admiral 
Stewart with the sham under which the aristocracy of the 
South, supported absolutely by slave labor, assumed to affiliate 
with democracy, haughtily retorted, in effect, th^t such assump- 
tion, or pretense, was mere policy designed to aid the South in 
controlling the Republic ; that the compromises of the past 
would not be repeated, and that any attempt to crush that policy 
or to abrogate its consequent power of control, would be met by 
a dissolution of the compact of the States. 

Following closely upon the tariff agitation of 1816, a mere 
preliminary skirmish, came the heated discussions in 1820 on 
the slavery question, resulting in the Missouri Compromise, by 
which Missouri was admitted as a slave-holding State in 1821. 
Subsequent events proved that Calhoun's declaration of hos- 
tility towards compromise measures was not a personal feeling 
merely, nor an unmeaning threat. The issue was merely 
postponed and the agitation allayed until 1849. 

The passage of the tariff act of 1824, which afforded protec- 
tion to the iron trade of Pennsylvania, the manufacturers of 
the Eastern States and the Northern and Western wool and 
hemp interests, revived Southern hostility, and when, in 1828, 
after a bitter controversy lasting nearly a year, the tariff bill, 



CAUSES OF THE WAR. 23 

imposing duties upon an average basis of fifty per cent. , was 
passed, the outspoken indignation of the advocates of the 
cotton interests was so violent and aggressive that the long- 
threatened hour of dissolution seemed at hand. 

In the fall of 1828, after an exciting Presidential campaign, 
John Quincy Adams was defeated, and Andrew Jackson, a 
native of North Carolina, but a resident of Tennessee, was 
elected, receiving 178 electoral votes against 83 for Adams' re- 
election. As usual, the mere partisan rancours of a campaign 
disappeared as easily and as silently as the morning mists. 
But gathering clouds took their place, the Bank Charter Act 
and the reopening of the tariff question precipitating another 
storm. The first annual message of President Jackson opposed 
the re-chartering of the Bank of the United States, and sug- 
gested that the old charter should be allowed to expire by 
the effluxion of time in 1836. The corporation power was, how- 
ever, strong enough to set these views aside, and Congress in 
1832 passed the bill to re-charter. This was promptly met by a 
veto, and failing to comand a two-thirds majority, the friends 
of the bill were compelled to yield. 

Meanwhile the agitation on the tariff question had been 
rapidly spreading, and when, as the result of the session of 
1831-32, additional duties were levied upon manufactured goods 
imported from abroad, the smoldering discontent of the South 
leaped into flame. It was claimed that again the manufactur- 
ing districts were favored at the expense of the agricultural 
States, and South Carolina, under the lead of John C. Calhoun, 
with his nullification theory, determined to resist the power of 
Congress in the premises. 

Inflammatory literature was widely disseminated, and other 
Southern States were invited to join the movement for mutual 
self -protection. On the 24th of November, 1832, a grand con- 
vention was held at Columbia, and the Nullification Ordinance 
was adopted. This instrument declared that no duties should 
be paid in South Carolina after a certain date ; that no appeal 
should be permitted to the Supreme Court of the United States in 
reference to the validity of the ordinance, and that attempts by 
the United States Government to collect revenue would justify 



34 



HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 



secession and the establishment of an independent government. 
This ordinance was approved by the Legislature of the State 
then m session. To emphasize the matter the Legislature 
ordered the raising, arming and ecjuipphig of State forces to 
resist to the uttermost the exercise of Federal authority. 

Mr. Calhoun, then Vice-President of the United States, was 
named as the head of the proposed State organization, and 
medals bearing the words, -JohnC. Calhoun, First President 
of the Southern Confederacy," were struck off and distributed. 
In the streets blue cockades, with a center button ornamented 

with a palmetto, the sym- 
bol of the new nation, 
were freely displayed. 
Nor did the matter rest 
here. Colonel Hayne, Sen- 
ator from South Carohna, 
boldly advocated, on the 
floor of the United States 
Senate, the right of a 
State, under certain cir- 
cumstances, to nullify an 
act of Congress. To his 
fiery eloquence was op- 
posed the masterly argu- 
mentative speech of that 
master of American ora- 
tory, Daniel Webster. 
Debate, however, on such a subject, was not President Jackson s 
modeof meeting and dealing with a crisis. He promptly isstied a 
proclamation, in which he asserted that " to say hat any State 
may at pleasure secede from the Union, is to say that the United 
States ai-e not a Nation." He declared his intention to colle^ct 
the revenue under all and any cii-cumstances. This was met by 
a counter proclamation, in which Governor Hayne, of South 
Carolina, sustained the Nullification theory, and caUed for 
twelve thousand armed volunteers to defend the State against 
Federal interference. On the 28th of February, 1833 Congress 
passed the Force bill, which gave jurisdiction to the United 




JOHN c •.^u^VJ■.I.L cauioun. 



THE NULLIFICATION THEORY. 



25 



States Courts over eases arising under tiie revenue laws and 
matenally enlarged the Presidential power in deaW w'th 
armed res.stai,ee. Thus strengthened, the President dispftc^^d 
vessels of war to ,he coast of South CaroUna and sent S^ntll 
■V mheld Scott to Charleston with troops. Vigorous me— 
bke these nipped in the bud the immature revolt. The eaZ 
receded for the tin.e, the rank and file suJlenlv subs ded and 
w.tw bloodshed the point of extreme tension had been 
cached and passed. Meanwlnle Congress considered a WU 
ntroduced by the great pacificator, Henry Clav, and in the f ol 
lowing spring adopted the measure which, by providing for the 
gi-adual reduction of the duties complained of, till at the end of 
ten years they should reach a basis such as the South h.^d inti- 
mated wilhngness to accept, removed even the shadow of a 

Sr^ " *' *"'"' ""°""' '™"" *^ ^'^^"•^^'^ ^P'"*^ °' South 
The slavery question, however, was rapidly resumino- its 
position as a burning issue, though the financiaf panic a.d the 
Brna-*'tL,r/";T *'" ^^'"-'^tration of Martin Van 
^Znd Th» , '' f.w '" '^"'P '' ^^e^h^t in the back- 
g ound The dose of this administration by the defeat of Van 

fr^tf T T^'^-''^ '-----g but si.ty electoral votes 
TZ rr "^ """^ tliirty-four for General Harrison, de- 

cZol If 'th^rvrinT "'^ ""' *^^ '" "'''' ''--' <^' '^'^ 

JZTr'^'f ?u *' '"' "^ '^"<'^- 18^1' G«°«-^^' Harrison, 
boine down by the weight of years, died within one month of 

that date, and on the 6th of April Vice-President John Tyler of 
States'"^* '""''' *'"" *""' °'' "^"^ "' P'-^^ident of the United 
In the ciirrent nin of this history, holding its main purpose in 
vie«, we have httle to consider until in December 1S44 the 
proposition to admit Te.vas as a State came before Congress 
A clause m the proposed constitution of this State recognized 
theexisteneeof slavery within its limits. Tliis had been the 
issue of the Presidential election of that yea.-, and had been he 
cause of unparalleled excitement. On the 1st of March, 1845 
but three days before Tyler's retirement, the annexation bil 



26 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

was adopted, and the prompt assent of the President ad- 
mitted the "Lone Star State." 

The administration of James K. Polk, of Tennessee (1845 to 
1849), was cliiefly occupied with the Mexican troubles arising out 
of the Texas boundary question. Towards its close the slavery 
question a^ain loomed up, David Wilmot, of Pennsylvania, 
having brought before Congress a bill to prohibit slavery in all 
the territory which might be secured by treaty with Mexico. 
The defeat of the "Wilmot Proviso," as this measure was 
termed, led to the formation of a political party, composed of 
its supporters ; and in June, 1848, they nominated ex-President 
Van Buren, as the Presidential candidate of the "Free Soil 
Party." Practically this was but the ventilation of an idea, for 
the cami)aign turned upon the personal popularity of Generals 
Cass and Taylor, the latter being elected, by a large majority, 
with Millard Fillmore, of New York, as Vice-President. 

President Taylor's first message paved the way for another 
struggle. In it he advised the Calif ornians to form a State 
government in readiness for admission to the Union. In accord- 
ance with this a convention at Monterey, in September, 1849, 
framed a constitution prohibiting slavery, and the people 
adopted it. On the 20th of December, the new Government, 
with Peter H. Burnet as Governor of the Territory, was organ- 
ized and a petition was forwarded to Congress asking admission 
for the State of California. 

A bitter controversy was at once initiated and the Missouri 
experiences were repeated, witli this difference, that the 
North favored and the South opposed the admission. The 
Southern argument was that with the extension of the Missouri 
compromise line to the Pacific the right to introduce slavery 
into California was guaranteed by the general Government, 
consequently the Constitution of the proposed State should be 
rejected. The North argued that part of the new State only 
was affected, that the Missouri Compromise apphed only to the 
Louisiana purchase, and that the people of California had the 
right to choose their own Constitution. In the bitter debates 
which followed kindred issues became involved. The South 
complained that fugitive slaves were aided and encouraged by 



HENRY CLAY'S OMNIBUS BILL. 27 

the North ; the Free Soil party demanded the abolition of 
slavery in the District of Columbia, and Texas added to the im- 
broglio by claiming New Mexico as part of her territory. 

Again the genius of Henry Clay was invoked. Early in 1850 
he was appointed chairman of a committee of thirteen to whom 
all the vexed questions were referred. On the 9th of May he 
brought forward "The Omnibus Bill" as a compromise. Its 
provisions were : First, the admission of California as a free 
State ; second, the formation of new states, not exceeding four 
in number, out of the territorj^ of Texas, said states to permit 
or exclude slavery as the people should determine ; third, the 
organization of territorial governments for New Mexico and 
Utah, without conditions on the question of slavery ; fourth, 
the establishment of the present boundary between Texas and 
New Mexico, and the payment to the former of ten million dol- 
lars from the public treasury for the surrender of the latter ; 
fifth, the enactment of a more vigorous law for the recovery of 
fugitive slaves ; sixth, the abolition of the slave trade in the 
District of Columbia. 

During the heated discussion which followed the introduction 
of the measure. President Taylor died on July 9th, 1850. Mr. 
Fillmore took the oath of office and appointed Daniel "Webster 
as Secretary of State. The discussion on the Omnibus bill pro- 
gressed, and on September 18th, 1850, the last clause was 
adopted. The President immediately approved the measure, 
and for a time the excitement was again abated. True, it was 
but a compromise, and did not affect convictions on either 
side. 

Meanwhile, on March 31st, 1850, John C. Calhoun died, and 
thus the foremost figure in early secession movements passed 
from the conflict. His influence, however, had left too deep an 
impression to be easily effaced. Henry Clay followed on the 
28th of June, 1852, and Daniel Webster on the 24th of October in 
the same year. The close of Fillmore's administration intro- 
duced a new element, for both the Whig and Democratic plat- 
forms affirmed the wisdom of the Compromise Act of 1850 ; 
a new party, or rather an extension of the Free Soil organiza- 
tion, denied the wisdom of the Compromise, and declaring that 



38 HISTORY 01 THE CIVIL WAR. 

all the Territories of the United States ought to be free, put 
forth their own Presidential candidate. This was John P. Hale, 
of New Hampshire. The real contest, however, was between 
General Winfield Scott and Franklin Pierce, of New Hamp- 
shire, the latter being elected by a large majority. 

The pacification of the Omnibus bill provisions was of very 
short duration, the anti-slavery party daily growing in determi- 
nation, if not in actual audacity. In Syracuse, N. Y., afugitive 
named Jerry was rescued by force from the Government offi- 
cers, and the rescue of Anthony Burns was almost effected. In 
this struggle one man was killed and troops were ordered out to 
aid in the surrender of the alleged slave. In Ohio, Margaret 
Garner, another fugitive, killed two of her children to save 
them from slavery. More legitimate efforts to restrict the 
operations of the fugitive slave law were made in several States 
by the enactment of laws to secure at least a jury trial for 
alleged slaves. Thus steadily and resistlessly the Nemesis of 
slave-holding brutality was pressing on to the point of actual 
conflict and its result, the glorious Emancipation Proclamation. 

The organization of the vast region west of Minnesota, Iowa 
and Missouri into Territories was one of the earliest issues of 
Pierce's Administration. In January, 1854, Senator Stephen A. 
Douglas, of Illinois, submitted to the United States Senate a 
proposition to organize the Territories of Kansas and Nebraska. 
The Kansas-Nebraska bill contained a clause providing that 
the peoj^le of the two Territories, in forming their Constitutions, 
should decide for themselves whether the new States should be 
free or slave-holding. This was cutting the Gordian knot with 
a vengeance, for both the new territories lay north of the paral- 
lel of thirty-six degrees and thirty minutes, and therefore the 
proposition absolutely annulled the Missouri Compromise and 
virtually restored the naked issue of slavery or no slavery. Sec- 
tional feeling ran high and debates were bitter, but the bill 
passed, and in May, 1854, it received the Presidential sanction. 

The battlefield was now transferred to Kansas, where a " car- 
pet-bag " element of either faction hastened to control the elec- 
tions. In November, 1854, a pro-slavery delegate was elected 
to Congress, and the following year the same party was tri- 



FREE SOIL AGITATION. 



29 



umphant in the general Territorial election. The State Legis- 
lature met at Lecompton, and framed a Constitution permitting 
slavery. The Free Soil party denounced the election as illegal, 
held a convention at Topeka, framed a Constitution excluding 
slavery, and organized a rival government. From the autumn 
of 1855 to the summer of 1856, a turbulent civil war raged. 
This was not quieted until after the appointment, on the 3d of 
September, of John W. Geary, of Pennsylvania, as Military 

Governor of Kansas, with 
authority from the Presi- 
dent to restore order and 
punish lawlessness. This he 
accomplished locally, but 
the agitation had spread 
throughout the Union and 
the slavery question became 
the issue of the Presidential 
election of 1 856. 

Extraordinary combina- 
i io]is and dismtegi^ations 
of parties marked this 
campaign. Many Northern 
Democrats, though opposed 
to slavery, held that every 
Territory was entitled to in- 
dividual choice on the sub- 
ject, and James Buchanan, of Pennsylvania, with a platform 
reafltirming the principles of the Kansas-Nebraska bill, became 
their standard bearer. 

The Free Soil party, demanding absolute abolition, nomi- 
nated John C. Fremont, of California. Another new party, 
with real jDurposes which some other historian may be able to 
comprehend, but which professed to be concerned only with the 
restriction of foreign influence in the United States, now 
sprang into being, and called itself, or was christened, the 
'• Native American " or " Know-Nothing " organization. The 
candidate of this clique was Millard Fillmore. The great ma- 
jority, however, decided that the vital home question was that 




BTKPnEN 



DOUGLAS. 



30 HISTORY OF THE CIVH, WAR. 

of Slavery, and James Buchanan was elected, with John C. 
Breckinridge, of Kentucky, as Vice-President. 

Immediately following the inauguration of President Bu- 
chanan, in March, 1857, came the decision of the Supreme Court 
of the United States in the memorable " Dred Scott " case, 
which had been pending three years. This deserves more than 
passing mention. 

Dred Scott had been one of the slaves of Dr. Emerson, of 
Missouri, a United States army surgeon. Emerson moved first 
to Rock Island, 111., and then to Fort Snelling, Minn., at which 
latter place, in 1836, Scott was married to a negro woman 
whom Emerson had bought. After the birth of two children 
all the family were taken back to St. Louis and sold. Dred 
brought suit for his freedom, and after the Circuit and Supreme 
Cou ts of Missouri had heard the case, it was, in May, 
1854, appealed to the United States Supreme Court. The de- 
cision read by Chief -Justice Taney held that ''negroes, 
whether free or slaves, were not citizens of the United States, 
and could not become such by any process hnoivri to the Consti- 
tution^''; that under the laws of the United States " a negro 
could neither sue nor be sued, and therefore the court had no 
jurisdiction of Dred Scott's cause"; that " a slave was to be 
regarded in the liglit of a personal chat tel, and might be re- 
moved from place to place by his owner as any other piece of 
property " ; that " the Constitution gave to every slave-holder 
the right of removing to or through any State or Territory 
with his slaves and of returning at his will with them to a 
State where slavery was recognized by law ; and that there- 
fore the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the comi^romise 
measures of 1850 were unconstitutional and void." 

Six of the associate Justices, Wayne, Nelson, Grier, Daniel, 
Campbell and Catron concurred, but Judge 5 McLean and Curtis 
dissented. The President had hoped that this would aUay the 
excitement, but it had a contrary effect. The South affected 
satisfaction, but the Free Soil party became exasperated, and 
the passage of Personal Liberty bills resulted in several of the 
anti-slavery States. 

John Brown's raid at Harper's Ferry, Va., October 16th, 1859, 



ELECTION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 31 

was the next excitement for the slave States. The details of the 
daring attempt, its failure and the trial, condemnation and ex- 
ecution of John Brown and six of his companions are incidents 
too well and widely known to justify recapitulation here. This 
affair, and the rapid growth of the Free Soil party in Kansas, 
while widening the breach between North and South, threw 
into the nineteenth Presidential election campaign of 1860 the 
apple of discord destined to precipitate the clash of arms. 

With a rapid summary of the features of this campaign we 
shall close this introductory chapter on the causes which led to 
the Civil War. 

The " People's" party, now called RepubUcan, nominated 
Abraham Lincoln, of Illinois, with a platform opposing the ex- 
tension of slavery as the issue of the period. The Democratic 
Convention met at Charleston in April and split on the slavery 
question. The Southern delegates withdrew, and, after a meet- 
ing in Riclunond, organized a separate convention at Baltimore 
on the 28th of June, and nominated John C. Breckinridge, of 
Kentucky. The Northern wing remained in session for a 
time at Charleston, and after some fruitless balloting, also 
adjourned to Baltimore, where, on June 18th, Stephen A. 
Douglas was nominated. The American party, now called 
"Constitutional Unionists," nominated John Bell, of Tennessee. 
Thus four candidates were in the field. 

Abraham Lincoln was elected, ha^dng received the electoral 
votes of all the Northern States, except New Jersey, which were 
divided between him and two of his opponents. The Southern 
States mainly supported Breckinridge. Virginia, Kentucky 
and Tennessee gave their thirty-nine votes to Bell, while Doug- 
las received a scattering vote through nearly all the States. 

The South had foreseen the result and energetically provided 
for it. The words, " Abraham Lincoln is Elected" became 
the tocsin of revolt, and the long expected, much dreaded crisis 
had been reached. 



CHAPTER n. 

SECESSION SPREADING — THE VARIOUS ORDINANCES — TREACHERY IN THE 
CABINET— ANDERSON AND FORT SUMTER — HIS H3R0IC ACTION— CONFED- 
ERATE DIPLOilATIC OVERTURES- CABINET CHANGES— THE TREACHERY OP 
TWIGGS— CLOSE OF BUCHANAN'S ADMINISTRATION. 

With prompt precision which gave evidence of j^remedita- 
tion, a call was issued in South Carolina, o;i the day following 
the general election in November, 1860, for a convention to be 
held at Columbia, December 17th, to t ike action in regard to 
secession. At the appointed time the assemblage was called to 
order by General D. F. Jamieson, but the men who could 
calmly contemplate the horrors of civil war trembled at the 
thought of a pock-marked face, and passed a resolution to 
adjourn to Charleston in consequence of the prevalence of 
small-pox in Columbia. After three days' deliberation the fol- 
lowing ordinance was passed, shortly after noon, on December 
20th, by the iinauimous vote of one hundred and sixty-nine 
members : 

"We, the people of the State of South Carolina, in Convention assembled, 
do declare and ordain, and it is hereby declared and ordained, that the 
ordinance adopted by us in Convention on the 23d day of May, in the year 
of our Lord 1788, whereby the Constitution of the United States of America 
was ratified, and also all Acts and parts of Acts of the General Assembly of 
this State ratifying the amendments of the said Constitution, are hereby 
repealed, and that the union now subsisting between South Carolina and 
other States, under the name of the United States of America, is hereby 
dissolved." 

The fatal plunge had been taken, and on December 24th 
Governor Pickens issued a proclamation declaring South Caro- 
lina *' a separate, sovereign, free, and independent State, with 
the right to levy war, conclude peace, negotiate treaties, 
leagues or covenants, and do all acts whatever that rightly ap- 
pertain to a free and independent State." 

The dread significance of these measures cannot be over- 
estimated, for the boldness of the declaration and its prompti- 



FIRST SECESSION ORDINANCE. 33 

tude proved contagious, and swept away hesitancy or timidity 

in the other cotton-growing States. 

On January 19th, 1861, the Mississippi State Convention, 
organized the previous day at Jacksonville, with A. J. Barry, of 
Lowndes, in the chair, passed a secession ordinance, with some 
shght opposition. The fifteen opposing delegates, however, 
signed the ordinance next day, making the vote unanimous. 
South Carolina and Alabama delegations were present and were 
accorded seats in the Convention. 

Florida and Alabama followed, the Convention of the first- 
named meeting at Tallahassee, and that of the latter at Mont- 
gomery, with Wm. M. Brooks in the chair. On the 11th of 
January both conventions passed secession ordinances, that of 
Florida by a vote of 62 to 7, and that of Alabama by 61 to 39. 

As the Alabama ordinance gives the first indication of Con- 
federacy it may be well to quote it in full : 

'■ Whereas, The election of Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin to the 
offices of President and Vice-President of the United States of America, by 
a sectional party avowedly hostile to the domestic institutions and peace 
and security of the people of the State of Alabama, following upon the heels 
of many and dangerous infractions of the Constitution of the United States 
by many of the States and people of the Northern section, is a political 
wrong of so insulting and menacing a character as to justify the people of 
the State of Alabama in the adoption of prompt and decided measures for 
their future peace and security. 

" Therefore, Be it declared and ordained by the people of the State of 
Alabama, in Convention assembled, that the State of Alabama now with- 
draws from the Union known as the United States of America, and hence- 
forth ceases to be one of the said United States, and is, and of right ought to 
be, a sovereign independent State. 

" Sec. 2. And be it further declared and ordained by the people of the 
State of Alabama, in Convention assembled, that all power over the terri- 
tories of said State, and over the people thereof, heretofore delegated to the 
Government of the United States of America, be, and they are hereby with- 
drawn from the said Government, and are hereby resumed and vested in 
the people of the State of Alabama. And as it is the desire and purpose of 
the people of Alabama to meet the slaveholding States of the South who 
approve of such a purpose, in order to frame a revisional as a permanent 
government upon the principles of the Government of the United States, be 
it also resolved by the people of Alabama, in Convention assembled, that 
the people of the States of Delaware, Maryland, Vu-ginia, North Carolina, 
South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Loviisiana, Texas, Arkansa«, 
Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri be and they are hereby invited to meet 



34 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

the people of the State of Alabama, by their delegates in Convention, on the 
4th day of February next, in Montgomery, in the State of Ala'oama, for the 
purpose of consultation with each ottier as to the most efiEective mode of 
securing concerted, harmonious action in whatever measures may be 
deemed most desirable for the common peace and security. 

"And be it further Resolved, That the President of the Convention be and 
he is hereby instructed to transmit forthwith a copy of the foregoing pre- 
amble, ordinance and resolutions to the Governors of the several States 
named in said resolutions, 

" Done by the people of ,4Jabama, in Convention assembled, at Montgom 
ery, this 11th day of January, 18G1." 

This extraordinary document is — whether intentionally or 
accidentally, matters not — a specific admission of the actual 
purposes and alleged grievances of the South. It will be no- 
ticed that "the slaveholding States of the South "are spe- 
cifically called upon to organize in defense of the peculiar 
institution. 

While this work was being done in Montgomery amid intense 
excitement, the news had been forwarded to Mobile, where it 
was received with the wildest demonstrations of enthusiasm, 
which were intensified by the simultaneous report of the adop- 
tion of the Florida ordinance. One hundred and one guns for 
Alabama and fifteen for Florida were fired, the secession pole 
was decorated with the Southern flag, and Judge Jones, speak- 
ing from the window of the court-room in the Custom-House, 
announced that the United States Court for the Southern Dis- 
trict of Alabama was "adjourned forever." Processions, 
speeches and busy preparations for illumination occuj)ied the 
rest of the day. The display at night was simply indescribable 
within reasonable limits, and thus the long latent theory of a 
"Southern Confederacy" was forced into practical existence. 

There is grim humor in an episode of this period. Governor 
Pickens, of South Carolina, on January 14th, sent to Washing- 
ton for a balance of three thousand dollars due him as late 
minister to Russia. The Department adjusted liis accounts by 
sending him a draft on the Charleston sub-treasury, the money 
in which had been seized by the State. 

Georgia next wheeled into line by passing a secession ordi- 
nance on January 19tb, by a vote of 208 to 89, and a motion to 
postpone its operation until March 3d was defeated. Alexan- 



SECESSION SCHEMES SPREADING. 35 

der H. Stephens and Herschel V. Johnson were among those 
voting against passage of the ordinance. 

Louisiana followed on January 26th, passing its ordinance 
by a vote of 113 to 17, a delay motion having been previously 
voted down. Each member of the Convention was presented 
with a gold pen with which to sign the ordinance. 

Texas came next and on February 1st, at Austin, passed a 
secession ordinance to be submitted to the people of Texas for 
their ratification or rejection by the qualified voters on the 
23d of February, 1861. If adopted, to take effect and be in 
force on March 2d, 186 1 . 

The adoption of this ordinance virtually completed the pre- 
liminary work of secession, the North Carolina House of Rep- 
resentatives having meanwhile, on February 6th; passed unani- 
mously a declaration that if reconciliation should fail North 
Carolina would join the other slave States. 

Meanwhile several important phases of the controversy had 
been developed. The Peace Congress, a movement recom- 
mended by resolutions of the Legislature of Virginia, met in 
Washington, February 4th, and organized with ex-President 
John Tyler, of Virginia, in the chair. Delegates from fourteen 
free labor and seven slave labor States attended the Conference, 
being in all 133 Commissioners, representing Maine, New 
Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecti- 
cut, New York, Ne.v Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, 
Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, 
Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Kansas. After several days of 
heated discussion, Mr. Guthrie, as Chairman of the Committee 
to whom the matter had been referred, reported a plan of adjust- 
m ?nt and pacification in seven amendments to the Constitution 
of the United States. 

These several amendments were hotly debated. In effect 
these propositions provided for the permanent recognition of 
slavery, with various contingent devices to meet the views of 
States then existing or to be afterwards admitted. 

As these adjustment proposals came to naught it will hardly 
be necessary to burden our pages with them. It may suffice to 
state that on the 2d of March, 1861, two days before the ad- 



36 



HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 



journment of Congress, the President of the Convention sent a 
copy of the proposed compromise to Vice-President Breckin- 
ridge, who submitted it to the United States Senate. It was 
referred to a committee of five who reported next day. Mr. 
Crittenden reported the Convention propositions. Mr. Seward, 
in behalf of himself and Mr. Trumbull, submitted a substitute 
providing for a Convention of the States to consider amend- 
ments to the Constitution. The Guthrie plan was postponed 
after a sharp debate, and the Senate concurred in a resolution 
adopted by the House of Representatives to the effect that " no 

amendment shall be 
made to the Constitu- 
tion which will author- 
ize Congress to inter- 
fere within any State 
with the domestic in- 
stitutions thereof. All 
other propositions 
being also rejected the 
Peace Congress efforts 
utterly failed, and the 
public at large disap- 
pointedly found them- 
selves once more face 
to face with war. 

Another abortive at- 
tempt to effect a sep- 
arate understanding 
had also been made by South Carolina. Messrs. R. W. Barn- 
well, James H. Adams and James L. Orr, styling themselves 
" Commissioners " from the State of South Carolina, arrived in 
Washington on the 26th of December, 1860, and prepared to 
establish themselves as a diplomatic body. On the 28th of De- 
cember they sent a formal letter to President Buchanan propos- 
ing to treat with the Government of the United States for the 
dehvery of the forts, magazines and other public property in 
South Carolina, and generally to negotiate a treaty between the 
Commonwealth of South Carolina and the General Government. 




JEFFERSON DAVIS. 



ATTEMPTED CONFEDERATE DIPLOMACY. 



37 



They submitted as their basis of recognition the Secession Ordi- 
nance. They also referred to the events in Charleston Harbor 
(hereafter to be related) and requested the withdrawal of all 
national troops from that point under threats of violence if 
their demands were not acceded to. 

The President courteously but firmly informed them by letter, 
on December 30th, that he could only meet them as private 
gentlemen, and could not treat with them as agents of a foreign 
State. He further called attention to the acts of war committed 
by South Carolinians in seizing two forts and placing them 
under the Palmetto flag. 
He peremptorily refused 
to withdraw the national 
troops or personally to 
enter into negotiations. 

On January 1st, 1861, 
the " Commissioners " 
wrote a further letter, in- 
solent in tone and matter, 
declaring that the course 
of the President had 
probably rendered civil 
war inevitable. Simul- 
taneously with the de- 
livery of tliis letter, the 
effect of which had doubt- 
less been anticipated, W. 
H. Trescot, their secretary 
— ^a South CaroUnian who had been covertly aiding the South 
while Assistant Secretary of State — started for Charleston. Even 
the patience of President Buchanan was not proof against the 
insolence of this second communication, and he retiu'ncd it with 
the following indorsement : "This paper, just presented to the 
President, is of such a character that he declines to receive it." 
As a matter of course this concluded all pretence of diplomatic 
intercourse, and the Commissioners, after a ten days' stay in 
Washington, returned to South Carolina to aid in the Rebellion 
movements. 




AI.EXAITDER n. BTEPnENS. 



88 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

On the same day that the Peace Congress met in Washington, 
quite a different organization was effected in Montgomery, Ala- 
bama ; in this Convention delegatt s from the six seceding States 
commenced the establishment of the Confederate Government. 
Howell Cobb, of Georgia, was chosen to preside, with Johnson 
F. Hooper, of Montgomery, as secretary. For several days in 
secret session the details of the Constitution were discussed, the 
delegates being far from harmonious in their views, and being 
more or less actuated by the promptings of personal ambition. 
On the 8th of February a Provisional Constitution v^as agreed 
upon. The next day the members of the Convention took the 
oath of allegiance to this document, and then proceeded to the 
election of a President and Vice-President of the Confederacy. 
Jefferson Davis, of Mississippi, received the six votes of the 
Convention for President, and Alexander H. Stephens, of 
Georgia, was similarly elected Vice-President. 

The Convention then directed its Chairman to appoint com- 
mittees on Foreign Relations, Postal Affairs, Finance, Com- 
merce, Military and Naval Affairs, etc. The Finance Commit- 
tee promptly began to consider a tariff bill and a committee 
was appointed to draft a constitution for a permanent govern- 
ment. For some days the question of an appro})riate flag for 
the "new nation" was discussed. The first selected had three 
equal width stripes, one white and two red ; a blue union ex- 
tending the depth of two-thirds of the flag AA-itli a circle of six 
white stars. This was unfurled first on the 4th of March over 
the State-House at Montgomery. Already, however, grave diffi- 
culties were springing up, for South Carolina, though willing to 
enter a Confederacy, was un^^lling to surrender any sovereign 
rights, especially in regard to the Fort Sumter matter. The 
inauguration of Davis was the next thing on the programme. 
He had been at his home in Vicksburg when apprised of his 
election and he at once started for Montgomery. 

On the 18th of February the inaugural ceremonies were con- 
ducted in an imposing manner, on a platform in front of the 
State-House. Davis read his inaugural, recommending the im- 
mediate organization of an army and navy, and tlirew out 
suggestions of privateering as a means of retaliation on the 



CABINET OF JEFF. DAVIS. 39 

commerce of an enemy. Howell Cobb, President of the Con- 
vention, then administered the oath of office. A full fledged 
President, he next appointed his Cabinet, selecting for Secretary 
of State, Robert Toombs ; for Secretary of the Treasury, Charles 
G. Memminger ; Secretary of War, Le Eoy Pope Walker ; Sec- 
retary of the Navy, Stephen R. Mallory ; and Postmaster-Gen- 
eral, John H. Reagan. Subsequent^, Judah P. Benjamin was 
appointed Attorney-General ; Wm. M. Browne, Assistant Sec- 
retary of State, and Philip Clayton, of Georgia, As^stant Secre- 
tary of the Treasury. 

The next step after the formal assumption of a national char- 
acter, was the demanding of recognition b}^ foreign powers, and 
the following Commissioners were sent to Europe : William L. 
Yancey, of Alabama, to England ; P. A. Rost, of Louisiana, to 
France ; A. Dudley Mann, of Virginia, to Holland and Belgium, 
and T. Butler King, of Georgia, whose sphere of action was not 
specially defined. 

Vice-President Stephens boldly announced the guiding prin- 
ciple of the Confederacy to be the maintaining of slaver \' and 
the continued subjection of the negro to the white race. 
Although this had long been evident in the course of events, a 
speech at Savannah, Ga., March 21st, 1861, first placed the 
matter in an unequivocal light. 

Leaving for a time this branch of our subject, we must turn 
to some of the exciting episodes which marked the closing 
days of Buchanan's administration. It may be well to note 
just here the order in which the representatives of the seceding 
States withdrew from Congress. On Januar}' 14th, 1861, Albert 
G. BroMai, Senator from Mississippi, quitted the Capitol, and on 
the 21st his colleague, Jefferson Davis, after defending his devo- 
tion to the doctrine of State Supremacy, also left tlie Chamber. 
The representatives of Alabama and Florida left on the same 
day. On January 28th, Senator Iverson, of Georgia, withdrew 
after a speech in which he professed faith in the power of 
'' King Cotton " to overthrow nortliern coercion. Toombs had 
preceded him and was alreadj^ engaged in dragooning the 
Maj^or of New York City on the subject of the seizui'e of arms, 
on board the steamer Monticello, bound for Savannah, by the 



40 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

New York police. John Slidell and Judah P. Benjamin of 
Louisiana quitted the Senate on February 4th, after making- 
characteristic speeches. Miles Taylor, of Louisiana, on quitting 
the House, made a threatening speech which drew from Repre- 
sentative Spinner, of New York, a vehement protest against 
treasonable utterances on the floor of Congress. Other repre- 
sentatives quietly drew their pay and retired. 

So rapidly and co-incidently was American history being 
manufactured towards the close of Buchanan's administration, 
that a running summary of events would prove but an inextric- 
able tangle of exciting incidents. We must, therefore, ask the 
indulgence of our readers when we drop back, under separate 
sections, to review momentous phases of the gigantic conspiracy 
which, like some huge devil-fish, had its tenacious tentacles 
spread in every direction. We have heretofore briefly adverted 
to the affairs in Charleston Harbor ; we propose now to go into 
details. 

It is necessary here to mention that Buchanan's Secretary of 
War, John B. Floyd, of Virginia, was perhaps the most treason- 
ably implicated and most dangerous member of the Cabinet. 
While desiring to avoid stigmatic epithets in general reference 
to the unhappy struggle in which both North and South were, 
doubtless from honest convictions, engaged, we cannot close 
our eyes to the fact that the deliberate betrayal of a sworn 
National trust is, under any circumstances, treason. 

As far back as 1859 Floyd and his confederates were strength- 
ening the resources of the Southern forts in regard to war ma- 
terial and steadily withdrawing Northern or Federal troops. 
On the 20th of December, 1859, Floyd ordered the transfer of 
115,000 muskets and rifles from Springfield and Watertown, 
Massachusetts, and Watervliet, New York, to the arsenals at 
Mount Vernon, Alabama ; Augusta, Georgia ; Fayetteville, 
North Carolina ; Charleston, South Carolina, and Baton Rouge, 
Louisiana. In addition to this, under a strained construc- 
tion of the law authorizing the Secretary of War to sell 
unsuitable military stores, he transferred to private individuals 
and States a large quantity of altered muskets at a ridiculously 
low price. In this way over 185,000 small arms were withdrawn 



AFFAIRS IN CHARLESTON HARBOR. 



41 



from the North and placed in Southern control. Nor was this 
all ; for while Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Ala- 
bama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Kansas received at the close 
of 1860, by the Secretary's orders, their annual quotas of arms 
for 1861 in advance several of the Northern States had received 
part only, and some none at all. Even a believer in the theory 
of a " fortuitous aggregation of atoms " could not accept such 
a condition of affairs as accidental, but would be forced to recog- 
nize conspiracy, and that, too, of a traitorous brand. 

We turn now to Charleston 
Harbor, with its four forts — 
Moultrie, Sumter, Pinckney 
and Johnson. Fort Sumter, 
the largest and strongest, is 
in the middle of the entrance 
to Charleston Harbor ; Fort 
Moultrie is on SuUivan's 
Island, distant four miles from 
Charleston ; Castle Pinckney 
is near the city, on a strip of 
marsh, and was never of much 
importance ; Fort Johnson, 
on James Island, west of 
Sumter, was of still less con- 
sequence. In October, i860, 
Floyd, for reasons best known 

to himself, but open to grave suspicion, removed Colonel 
Gardner from the command of Fort Moultrie, and sent 
there Major Robert Anderson, of Kentucky. If there was a 
special design in this, it was one of the inevitable errors 
of an over-confident conspiracy, for Major Anderson quickly 
detected the secession sentiment and penetrated the local 
designs. He represented the case to the Secretary, and men- 
tioned the weakness of Fort Moultrie in the event of an 
attack. His fidelity was also a blunder, though an honest 
one ; for, while liis appeals for reinforcement were disre- 
garded, he was really informing Adjutant- General Cooj)er, 
brother-in-law of Senator Mason, of Virginia, one of the deeply 




MAJOR ROBERT ANDERSON. 



42 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

implicated secessionists, of the weakness of the Federal status 
at Charleston. 

Meanwhile zealous efforts had been made in Congress by 
Jefferson Davis and others, to stifle official investigation, pre- 
vent the strengthening of the defenses at Charleston, and even 
to procure the removal of troops already there. As time rolled 
on, Anderson became more convinced of the danger and more 
urgent in his demands, intimating that he should submit the 
matter to Lieutenant General Scott. To prevent this he was 
permitted to send a few men to repair Fort Pincknej^ and Floyd 
further quieted him by summoning Colonel Huger, of Charles- 
ton, to AVasliington, Anderson being directed to confer with 
.Huger on the position of affairs. At an interview with Major 
Macbeth, Colonel Huger and others, Anderson was bluntly 
told that after secession the forts v\'ould be taken possession of • 
Still more urgent demands on his part for assistance to enable 
him to cope with this threat were met by suggestions that it 
would not do to provoke hostilities, but he was further in- 
structed to defend himself if attacked. Meanwhile the re- 
monstrances of General Scott, ar.d of Secretary of State Cass, 
had failed to induce President Buchanan to throw off his timid 
procrastination and reinforce the Southern forts. It is doubtless 
a fact that other members of the Cabinet, in sympathy, if not 
in actual league with secession, held him back. As earnest as 
he was loyal. Major Anderson felt that the period of "waiting 
for orders " had passed. The repairs of Castle Pinckuey and 
Foi-t Moultrie were pressed on as fast as his limited resources 
would permit. 

The j)assage of the South Carolina secession ordinance con- 
vinced him that the hour of peril was at hand. An appeal to 
the government at Washington was entirely unheeded. With 
military instinct he determined to shift his base to the strong- 
est fort, Sumter, rather than allow liimself to be overshadowed 
by it in a weaker fort. As commander of all the forts he 
could chooso his location. With the utmost caution he first 
moved the women and children to Fort Johnson, on the 20tli of 
December, sending with them in the vessels ample provisions. 
The plausible excuse tliat he had removed them from the scene 



ANDERSON'S SKILLFUL STRATEGY. 43 

of a coming conflict satisfied the conspirators in Charleston, who 
prepared to spring their trap on the Uttle garrison of Fort 
Moultrie. But they had mistaken their man ; as wily as he was 
loyal, cool and determined, Anderson had ordered that no land- 
ing should be made at Fort Johnson, but that a signal of ''three 
guns from Mcnltrie " should send them on direct to Sumter. 

That evening, by moonlight, most of the garrison of Fort 
Moultrie left for Fort Sumter. The few officers and men re- 
maining gave the concerted signal and then spiked the great 
guns, destroyed the carriages and cut down the flag-staff. Per- 
fect success crowned this stratagem. The women and children, 
with their gallant protectors, were safe within the staunch 
walls of Fort Sumter, provisioned and fairly supplied with am- 
munition by 8 o'clock P. m. 

For skill, daring, chivalry and patriotism, this action of 
Major Anderson is almost without a parallel in the world's 
history. 

The little party left behind at Fort Moultrie consisted of Sur- 
geon Crawford, Captain Foster, three other South Carolina 
officers and seven privates. 

Immediately after assuming his quarters in the Fort, Major 
Anderson wrote a brief report to the Adjutant-General, without 
any comment, except an expression of thankfulness for a safe 
removal. The foiled and disgusted schemers in Charleston, 
however, flashed the news to Washington, and the angry Floyd, 
finding his fiendish plans frustrated, furiously telegraphed as 
follows: "Intelligence has reached here this morning that 
you have abandoned Fort Moultrie, spiked the guns, burned the 
carriages, and gone to Foi t Sumter. It is not believed, because 
there is no order for any such movement. Explain the mean- 
ing of this report." 

With characteristic coolness Anderson replied: "The tele- 
gram is correct. I abandoned Fort Moultrie because I was cer- 
tain that if attacked my men must have been sacrificed, and 
the command of the harbor lost. I spiked the guns and de- 
stroyed the carriages to keep the guns from being turned 
against us. If attacked, the garrison would never liave sur- 
rendered without a fight." 



44 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

As an indication of the local feeling, we clip the following 
from newspapers of December 28th. The Charleston Courier 
says: "Major Robirt Anderson, U. S. A., has achieved the un- 
enviable distinction of opening civil war hetiveen American citi- 
zens by an act of gr-oss breach of faith.''' 

Had the writer of this fustian been blessed with a little more 
piety and patriotism, and a little less treason and tergiversa- 
tion he would have admitted that "Surely in vain the net is 
spread in the sight of any bird." 

The Charleston 3Iercury, with greater calmness but more 
guile, remarks: "Major Anderson alleges that the movement 
was made without orders and upon his own resiDOusibility. 
He is a gentleman and we will not impugn his word or his 
motives. But it is due to South Carolina and to good faith 
that the act of this officer should be repudiated by the govern- 
ment, and that the troops be moved forthwith from Fort Sum- 
ter. ^^ The italics, in this case, are ours, and comment is need- 
less. On the contrary the Baltimore American and the Balti- 
more Exchange admired and warmly commended the move- 
ment, as did the Boston Courier, while the Boston Atlas and 
Bee, going still further, printed in capitals at the end of an 
editorial the three names "WASHINGTON, GAEIBALDI, 
ANDERSON." 

Before quitting Fort Sumter for a glance at the doings in the 
National Capitol we cannot pass over an impressive scene. 
Proud of their commander's exploit the brave little garrison 
desired to salute the rising sun of the 27th, with the fluttering 
folds of the Stars and Stripes, but Major Anderson refused to 
allow this till the Cliaplain should be present. At noon he 
arrived ; the iu mates of the fort were congTegat..d, and as the 
chaplain offered a fervent prayer, Anderson, kneeling at the 
foot of the flagstaff, held the halliards. At the conclusion of 
the prayer he ran up the flag amid the wild enthusiasm ©f all 
present. It was a few hours after this that he received and re- 
plied to Floyd's telegram. 

When on the morning of the 27th of December the people of 
Charleston became aware of the condition of affairs their rage 
and disappointment were ungovernable. Governor Pickens 



MOULTRIE'S SAND-BAG BATTERY. 



45 



at the request of the Secession Convention, at once ordered the 
military occupation of Castle Pinckney and Forts Moultrie and 
Johnson. The seizure of the Government arsenal with its arms 
and ammunition was the first step, in the name of the State. 
Amid wild excitement six or seven liundred men were armed 
and equipped from the stores which Floyd had treacherously 
placed there. In the course of the afternoon the steamers 
General Clinch and Nina, under the orders of General R. G. M. 
Donovant, secession Adjutant General of the State, started for 
Pinckney and Moultrie. Colonel J. J. Pettigrew captured 




t-AND-BAG BATTERY AT FoRT MOULTRIE. 

Castle Pinckney with two hundred men after a sharp resist- 
ance by the garrison, though the commandant, Lieutenant R. 
K. Mead, had escaped to Sumter. The ammunition was gone, 
the guns were spiked and the carriages ruined, but Pettigrew 
hastily waved a ' ' Palmetto flag " over the ramparts, amid the 
shouts of the people along the shore, who wildly cheered the 
first secession flag over a national fort. 

Meanwhile Colonel Wilmot G. De Saussure, with 250 men, pro- 
ceeded to Fort Moultrie, which was surrendered by the sentinel 
without opposition. As we have before shown, this fort liad 
been dismantled. The Palmetto was soon floating from this 



46 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

fortification also, and the work of repairing tlie damage caused 
by Anderf on and his men was immediately commenced. Huge 
heaps of sand-bags were placed upon the ramparts, and new 
breast-works, with heavy guns mounted on them, were erected. 

About the same time Governor Pickens sent a messenger to 
Fort Sumter, demanding Major Anderson's immediate evacua- 
tion and return to Moultrie, on the allegation that an under- 
standing existed that no re-enforcements were to be sent to 
any of the forts. Anderson declared that lie had no knowledge 
of any such understanding, and positively refused to heed the 
demands. Several other messages of like import were treated 
in a similar manner, and then the indignation of the baffled con- 
spirators in Charleston knew^ no bounds. On all sides Anderson 
was denounced as a traitor to the South. But that troubled the 
brave soldier but little. His most bitter annoyance came from 
the fact that with the guns of Sumter in position to have dis- 
lodged the insurgents from the deserted forts, he did not feel 
that his powers exceeded the step he had taken in changing his 
location to a safe vantage ground. Here we must leav-e him 
for the present, compelled idly to witness the preparations of 
the secessionists for tlie next stirring Fort Sumter ej^isode. 

In Washington Secretary Floyd denounced Anderson at a 
Cabinet meeting and demanded President Buchanan's per- 
mission to withdraw the garrison from Charleston harbor. 
But the mask had been torn off and even Buchanan was 
mulish and obstinate. The logic of events was too potent for 
his half-hearted conciliation policy. He refused to listen to 
Floyd's arguments and a Cabinet disruption followed. Floyd 
was succeeded on December 8tst, 1860, as Secretary of War, by 
Joseph Holt, of Kentucky, whose first act was to compliment 
Anderson for his action, which he described as being "in every 
way admirable, alike for its humanity and patriotism as for its 
soldiership." 

The reorganization of Buchanan's Cabinet was completed 
early in January, 1861. Attorney-General Black succeeded 
Cass as Secretary of State; Edwdn M. Stanton became Attor- 
ney-General; Philip F. Thomas, of Maryland, became Secretary 
of the Treasury, but soon made way for John A. Dix, of New 



THE STAR OF THE WEST. 4'i 

York. With cleaner men around him, the President, who had 
been despondent and inert, became more hopeful and energetic. 
The merchant steamer Star of the West was quietly chartered 
and provisioned, and on the 5th of January was dispatched 
from New York. Four officers and 250 artillerists and marines 
were secretly put on board of the steamer down the bay, under 
Captain John McGowan, en route for Fort Sumter to re-inforce 
Anderson. Secretary Thompson, of the Interior Department, 
however, while writing his resignation, found time to send a 
dispatch to Judge Longstreet, at Charleston, warning him of 
the expedition. As a consequence, when the Stai^ of the West 
neared Fort Moultrie, a battery on Morris Island and the guns 
of the fort opened fire on her. Two tugs also steamed out 
from Fort Moultrie with an armed schooner to intercept her. 
Despite the display of an American ensign at the fore in addi- 
tion to the usual national flag the cannonade was kept up. 
Finding himself powerless, Captain McGowan reluctantly put 
about and returned to New York. Though the insurgents, 
through Cabinet treachery, were a. ware of the character of the 
vessel and her mission, Major Anderson was wholly in the dark, 
and regarded the attack as a wanton outrage upon a merchant 
vessel and an insult to the flag, which his instructions did not 
permit him to resent. His guns were in position, shotted and 
commanding the whole range of the scene of action; his offi- 
cers and men implored him to let them fire, but he declined 
the responsibility. His instructions limited him to defense, and 
the saddened soldier saw the dishonored flag of liis nation dis- 
appear in the distance. 

One other episode remains to be noticed here, before we turn 
to a rapid review of general affairs during the brief period prior 
to the inauguration of President Lincoln. 

On December 27th, while the occupation of Fort Moultrie was 
being consummated, Captain N. L. Coste, United States Revenue 
Service, surrendered the revenue cutter William Aiken to the 
South Carolina authorities. He personally ran up the Palmetto 
flag, and his crew volunteered to remain with him in the sei vice 
of the State under the Secession Ordinance. His subordinate 
officers reported for duty at Washington, and left Captain Coste, 



48 HISTORY OP THE CIVIL WAR. 

of the navy, to share with Captain Dunovant, of the army, the 
infamy of being the first two commissioned officers of the United 
States who went into rebel service. 

It is but common charity to presume that the magnitude of 
the crisis through which he was passing had absolutely shat- 
tered the nerves of President Buchanan. He dared not grasp 
the nettle. Thus, when Lieutenant-General Scott suggested 
the promotion of Lieutenant Anderson for his heroic act, the 
President evaded the request and referred the matter to his 
successor in the Presidency. 

Meantime, the demand of Governor Pickens for the surrender 
of Sumter having been sternly refused by Anderson, the Gov- 
ernor sent Isaac W. Hayne as a " Commissioner of South Caro- 
lina" to Washington, to treat for the surrender of the fort on a 
partition basis, in regard to the value of the property, as be- 
tween the State and the Federal Government. Hayne reached 
the Capital on January 13th, and three days later Senators Sli- 
dell, Fitzpatrick and Mallory submitted the matter to the Presi- 
dent. Through Mr. Holt, Secretary of War, he replied, in effect, 
that he was powerless to consider such a proposition ; that he 
did not deem it needful to reinforce Andei*son. but that, should 
such necessity arise, efforts to aid him would be made. Gov- 
ernor Pickens then instructed Hayne to make a demand for the 
immediate surrender of Fort Sumter. This was refused in 
somewhat similar terms, and the onus of a grave responsibility 
was thrown on South Carolina, should force be attempted. 

Co-incidently with this event, the "Commissioner of the sov- 
ereign State of Alabama," one Thomas J. Judge, arrived in 
Washington, and desired to "present his credentials" to the 
President, being "duly authorized to negotiate with the Gov- 
ernment of the United States in reference to the public build- 
ings in Alabama and its position in regard to the debt of the 
United States." An audience was refused on any diplomatic 
basis, and Mr. Judge disappeared with Mr. Hayne, disgusted 
and indignant. 

Another base surrender, or betrayal of trust, stains the pages 
of American history about this period. 

General David E. Twiggs, second in rank to Lieutenant- 



THE TBEACHERY OF TWIGGS. 49 

General Scott, was placed in command of the Department of 
Texas, early in 1861. It was not long before he began to show 
signs of disloyalty, even to the extent of warning his subordi- 
nates to secure their pay while they could get it. Secretary 
Holt becoming acquainted with this, issued a general order on 
January 18th, relieving Twiggs, and turning over the command 
to Colonel Carlos A. Waite, First Infantry Regiment. The 
headquarters of Twiggs were at the Alamo, in San Antonio, 
while Colonel Waite was sixty miles distant, on Verde Creek. 
Before the orders could reach Waite the treachery of Twiggs 
was consummated. On the 17th of February, one of two couriers 
sent out from San Antonio by Assistant Adjutant General 
NichoUs delivered the orders to Waite ; the other courier had 
been captured by the conspirators. Twiggs had previously de- 
pleted the force under his immediate command, and now he 
demanded a plausible excuse for surrendering. This was fur- 
nished by a dash made on San Antonio on Sunday morning, 
February 16th, by Ben McCulloch, a Texan ranger, with two 
hundred mounted men, who seized the arsenal and other build- 
ings. A much larger force then poured into the city, and 
Twiggs made terms of surrender. By this diabolical act he 
gave up stores and munitions worth $1,200,000 ; surrendered all 
the fortifications and military posts in his command, and all 
the national forces in Texas, about 2,500 men. He issued a 
general order to this effect on the 18th instant, and advised his 
betrayed comrades to make their way to the coast, he having 
secured permission for them to leave the State with their cloth- 
ing, arms and subsistence. With the details of the subsequent 
capture of the Texas forts, we shall have to deal in later pages 
of this history. When this act of treason became known, the 
indignation of the Government was intense, and the expulsion 
of Twiggs was promptly ordered. 

The closing days of Buchanan's administration were un- 
marked by any events of significance. The Confederates were 
maturing their plans for the coming conflict, and the President, 
who had degenerated into a despondent old man who had tried 
to please everybody, and consequently phased nobody, drifted 
out of office and into comparative obscurity. 




^* .:Jg^? ^^"^z^' ^•i» ilium Itf 



^oc .:5S!^ 




/^w- 




IJ^ 



^ 




CHAPTER III. 

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN— HIS EVENTFUL JOURNEY FROM 
HIS HOME TO THE NATIONAL CAPITAL— PLOTS FOR HIS ASSASSINATION— THE 
CONSPIRATORS FOILED— INTRIGUES AT "WASHINGTON— PRECAUTIONS AGAINST 
REVOLUTION— LINCOLN'S INAUGURATION— ABSTRACT OF HIS ADDRESS. 

It is a relief to turn from records of baseness ; fx om the con- 
templation of criminal careers and conspiracies, and restfuUy 
review, in a brief biographical sketch, the noble character of 
that sturdy^ sterling, rugged representative of nature's nobility, 
Abraham Lincoln. Upon him fell the brunt of the battle, anc 
we cannot better begin our war history than by rapidly outlin- 
ing his career. Of Virginia descent, he was born in Larue 
County, Kentucky, February 12th, 1809. When seven years of 
age, his struggling, hard-working parents removed to Spencer 
County, Indiana, and the boy took his share of the toil in the 
rude cabin amid the partially cleared timber lands. Nine years 
later the spare, wiry stripling is seen running a ferry, at the 
mouth of Anderson Creek, across the Ohio, for the modest wage 
of six dollars per month. The scanty opportunities for educa- 
tion were eagerly seized upon, though it is doubtful whether he 
had as much as one year's actual schooling. About the time 
he came to man's estate, his father again shifted his location, 
settling on the north fork of the Sanr>;amon, ten miles west of 
Decatur, Illinois. A log cabin, a small clearing and plenty of 
hard work, would hardly seem to be legitimate preparation for 
the bar, the Legislature, the White House and the apotheosis of 
martyrdom ; but such were Abraham Lincoln's surroundings 
and obligations when twenty-one years of age. Flatboating on 
the Mississippi and clerking in p. country store at New Salem, 
near Springfield, Illinois, were his next experiences. Then, 
from 1833 to 1836, we find him a merchant, till bankrupted by 
the dissipation of a worthless partner. The law, always a pet 
hobby, then claimed its votary, and in 1837, after admission to 
the bar, he began practice in Springfield. In 1846 his sterling 



52 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

qualities had gained for him such respect that his fellow-citizens 
sent him to represent them in Congress. We had almost over- 
looked one other experience, his services as a volunteer during 
the Black Hawk war. In 1858, during his candidacy for United 
States Senator from Illinois, the quaint power of his masterly 
mind was revealed in his oratorical combats with Stephen A. 
Douglas, who, though a victor by eight votes in the election 
contest, made for his defeated opj^onent more political capital 
than anything else, i^erhaps, could have done. Elected Presi- 
dent of the United States in November, 1860, by a large majori- 
ty, as the represeni^ative of the Republican j^arty, an advanced 
form of the Free Soil organization, Abraham Lincoln found 
himself, at the age of fif ty-tw^o, the chosen champion of human 
liberty, the standard-bearer of the Republic of America, the 
rugged barrier between union and disunion, against which the 
roaring, seething billow^s of slavery and secession were to beat 
fiercely and vainly ; save that, in baffled demoniacal m-ilice, 
the co-waidly resort of assassination was invoked, to cause de- 
light among devils and angered anguish amid angels. But 
Lincoln had not lived in vain, and his death crowned his pres- 
tige. However, we nre anticipating, and must resume the thread 
of our narrative. 

On February 13th, 1861, the joint convention of the two 
houses of Congress declared Abraham Lincoln, of Illinoi?, and 
Hannibal Hamlin, of Maine, elected President and Vice-Presi- 
dent of the United States for the four years from the 4th March 
next ensuing. 

Two days before this, Mr. Lincoln left his home in Springfield, 
Illinois, accompanied by J. G. Nicolay, his private secretary; 
Robert T. Lincoln, Major Hunter and Colonel Sumner, United 
States Army ; Colonel E. E. Ellsworth, State Auditor : John K. 
Dubys, Governor Yates' Aid ; Colonel W. H. Lamon, Judge 
David Davis, Hon. O. H. Browning, E. L. Baker, of the Spring- 
field Journal ; Robert Irwin, N. B. Budd and George Lotham. 
It w^as a notable and representative party. The scene at the 
depot on his departure w^as overwhelmingly affecting. The 
parting words of the President-elect to his assembled fellow- 
citizens, delivered in tones broken by his emotions, breathed 



LINCOLN'S MEMORABLE JOURNEY. 53 

the true spirit of a man equally the servant of his God and of 
his country. And yet miscreants were already on his track 
with murder in tlieir hearts, while whispers were heard in vari- 
ous quarters that he would not reach Washington alive. An 
attempt to throw the train from the track, and the later dis- 
covery of an Orsini bomb in the car he was to occupy when 
leaving Cincinnati, proved that there was more than mere 
rumor afloat. At many points along the route enthusiastic 
demonstrations greeted him, but with instinctive caution his 
utterances, while firm, were guarded. The most that could be 
made of them was that he would do his duty and defend the 
Union. In New York the timid demagogue. Mayor Fernando 
"Wood, attempted to counsel the distinguished guest of the city 
as to his future conduct, but Lincoln looked him through, and 
discomfited the secession sympathizer by repeating his stereo- 
typed formula. It is difficult to believe that beneath that im- 
passive countenance there were not twitching nerves, and that 
that bold, brave heart did not at times beat tumultuously, for 
Lincoln was a keen listener and a close observer ; nevertheless 
he kept cool, and earnestly advised others to do likewise. His 
reception in the loyal city of Philadelphia, on February 22d, and 
his participation in the celebration ceremonies of Washington's 
Birthday, formed the most pleasing episode of his journey. Be- 
yond this point lay his greatest danger, the existence of a plot 
in Baltimore to precipitate a riot and murder him in the melee 
having already been ascertained. The shrewd plans of Detec- 
tive Pinkerton, a Chicago detective, and of Mr. Judd, of the 
same city, an ardent admirer of Mr. Lincoln, allowed the pro- 
gramme of the journey to be safely carried out. Mrs. Lincoln 
having joined her husband in Philadelphia, the party proceeded 
to Harrisburg. There, while the Legislature and citizens were 
honoring the President-elect, the telegraph wires were cut, to 
baffle the Baltimore conspirators. A special train, ostensibly 
to convey a messenger bearing ''despatches," rushed through 
to Washington twelve hours earlier than had been expected, 
and on the morning of the 23d of February Mr. Lincoln was 
greeted by Congressman Washburne, of Illinois, who was wait- 
ing at the depot in painful suspense. After a brief rest he called 



54 



HISTORY OF THE CIVH, WAR. 



on President Buchanan, who joyfully introduced him to the 
Cabinet, then in session. A great crisis had been met and 
overcome, and the enthusiasm of loyalty but deepened the 
contrast with the ill-concealed chagrin of the conspirators. 
With zealous forethought. General Scott had gathered so strong 

a force in Washington that 
any further effort to pre- 
vent the coming inaugura- 
tion would have been worse 
than futile. 

It is an open secret, how- 
ever, that a plan had been 
formed to seize Washington 
at this juncture, and in- 
augurate a revolution. So 
bold, indeed, were the con- 
spirators, that Senator Wig- 
fall, of Texas, on the 5th of 
February, had asked in the 
Senate, and Representative 
Burnett, of Kentucky, on 
the 11th, inquired in the 
House, why troops and mu- 
nitions had been massed in 
the National Capital. A 
resolution was even offered 
in the House, providing for 
the removal of the regular 
troops, but this was laid on 
the table, and on March 1st 
President Buchanan simply 
repUed to Congressional inquiry by stating that there were but 
" six hundred and fifty- three private soldiers in the city, besides 
the usual number of marines at the navy-yard, intended to act 
as a posse comitatus, in strict subordination to civil authority, 
should they be needed to preserve peace and order prior to or at 
the inauguration of the President-elect." Detected and baffled, 
the iniquitous plot was abandoned. 




SCENE OF THE INAT7GtrRATI0I?. 



LINCOLN'S INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 55 

The inauguration ceremonies were peacefully and impress- 
ively conducted. Senator Baker, of Oregon, introduced Mr. 
Lincoln to the vast throng, and Senator Douglas waited on his 
late opponent with respectful attention. After reading his 
memorable inaugural address. Chief Justice Taney administered 
the oath of office, and President Lincoln went at once to the 
"White House, to begin the most stirring chapter of his life and 
of the life of this great Republic. 

Limited space prevents our incorporating the full text of Presi- 
dent Lincoln's inaugural address, but our task would be incom- 
plete did we fail to present its most salient features. After a 
brief introduction, in which Mr. Lincoln quoted from one of 
his speeches as follows : "I have no purpose, directly or indi- 
rectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States 
where it exists," he added that those who nominated and elected 
him did so with a full knowledge of these sentiments. He 
continued : " And more than this, they placed in the platform 
for my acceptance, and as a law to themselves and to me, the 
clear and emphatic resolution which I now read : 

" 'Resolved, That tbe maintenance inviolate of the rights of the States, and 
especially the right of each State to order and control its own domestic institu- 
tions according to its own judgment exclusively, is essential to that balance of 
power on which the perfection and endurance of our political fabric de- 
pend ; and we denounce the lawless invasion by armed force of the soil of 
any State or Territory, no matter under what pretext, as among the gravest 
of crimes.' 

' ' I now reiterate these sentiments ; and in doing so I only 
press upon the public attention the most conclusive evidence of 
which the case is susceptible, that the property, peace and se- 
curity of no section are to be in anywise endangered by the now 
incoming Administration." 

After elaborating upon this theme, adverting to the troubles 
which had arisen, the dangerous menaces which had been 
enunciated and the legitimate methods which existed of meet- 
ing and remedying real or alleged grievances, Mr. Lincoln 
concluded in these words : ''1 am loath to close. We are not 
enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though pas- 
sion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. 
The mystic cords of memory, stretching from every battle-field 



56 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAB. 

and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over 
this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when 
again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of 
our nature." 

It was a noble appeal, and only hearts, hardened as was that 
of Pharaoh, could have resisted it. That they did so, however, 
is all too true. How they did this, and to what dire lengths 
sectional prejudice and fraternal hate were driven in the ensu- 
ing four years, it is our painful task now to trace, step by step, 
until the saddened citizens of the United States could thank- 
fully, though wearily murmur, " The cruel war is over." 



CHAPTER IV. 



COMPOSITION OF LINCOLN'S CABINET— ANOTHER ATTEMPT AT SOUTHERN DIPLO- 
MACY — THE OVERTURES REJECTED — AFFAIRS IN CHARLESTON EARBOR — THE 
ATTACK ON FORT SUMTER— ITS GALLANT DEFENCE BY ANDERSON— PERIL OP 
THE LITTLE GARRISON — IT3 EVACUATION ON APRIL 14tH. 

It wiU be proper to note, just here, who were the men selected 
by President Lincohi to aid him in the HerculeaA labors of his 
administration. His Cabinet was constituted as follows: Sec- 
retary of State, Wm. H. Seward, of New York; Secretary of the 
Treasury, Salmon P. Chase, 
of Ohio ; Secretary of War, 
Simon Cameron, of Pennsyl- 
vania; Secretary of the Navy, 
Gideon Welles, of Connecti 
cut; Secretary of the Interior, 
Caleb Smith, of Indiana; Post- 
master-General, Montgomery 
Blair, of Maryland ; Attorney- 
General, Edward Bates, of 
Missouri. These were loyal 
and able men, and their first 
task w^as to cleanse the Au- 
gean official stables of their 
several departments. These 
were reeking wdth corruption 
and disloyalty. 

The first skirmish w^th se- 
cession which the new administration had was a verbal 
one on the 5th of March. John Forsyth, of Alabama, and 
Martm J. Crawford, of Georgia, two of the three com- 
missioners appointed by the Confederate Convention at Mont- 
gomery, arrived in Washington, and on the 11th attempted 
to 0]3en negotiations. Various communications passed be- 
tween them and Secretary Seward, but oflicial recognition on 




M'lLLIAM 11. SEWARD. 



58 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

a diplomatic basis was denied them, and after a display of 
arrogant impertinence they quitted the capital on the 11th of 
April. The details of their fruitless efforts to force in the thin 
edge of the wedge of recognition are not worth mention. The 
plan was doubtless to divert attention, as much as possible, 
from the preparations in the South, especially at Charleston, 
to which point we must now turn for what is usually accepted 
as the opening of the war, although the occupation of Moultrie, 
etc., and the firing on the Star of the West might fairly be 
accorded such notoriety. 

On the day of Lincoln's inauguration. Major Anderson's 
letter of February 28tli was received. In it he expressed doubts 
of the possibility of the needed reinforcements reaching him iu 
time. This matter was the first discussed by the new cabinet. 
The majority of the members, together with General Scott, 
favored abandoning the position, but after many discussions 
extending over several days, the minority, Chase and Blair, 
particularly the latter, convinced the President that dignity 
and policy alike demanded that an effort should be made, 
despite the seeming impractibility of the jDroject. On the 4th 
of April a written order was given, together with personal 
instructions, to Gustavus V. Fox (subsequently Assistant Secre- 
tary of the Navy) to fit out an expedition for the relief of 
Sumter. With wonderful tact and promptitude, in the face of 
official opposition, for General Scott still ridiculed the move- 
ment, Mr. Fox had his expedition under way from New York 
early on the 9th of April. It consisted of the steamer Baltic, 
the U. S. ships Powhatan, Paicnee, Pocahontas and Harriet 
Lane, together with three tugs. Blunders and disasters, how- 
ever, marred the well-laid plans. The entire details had been 
secretly arranged, and a consequent confusion of orders enabled 
Lieutenant Porter to take the Poichatan, unknown to Mr. Fox, 
from the little fleet on its way do\vn New York Bay, in pur- 
suance of instructions to proceed to Pensacola. A storm next 
drove off the tugs, one going back, another being captured at 
Wilmington, N. C, and the third being disabled. The expedi- 
tion arrived too late, and would have been almost useless under 
anv circumstances, as the Powhatan, flagship, had carried off 



THE SUMTER INCIDENT. 



59 



the launches designed to land the supplies, etc. With scrupu- 
lous honor, in accordance with a previous understanding, the 
President had notified Governor Pickens of liis intention to 
send supplies to M:)jor Anderson. This courtesy was taken 
advantage of and tlie plans of the Confederates were hurried 
forward. 

From the time of the occupation of Castle Pinckney and Fort 
Moultrie, the greatest activity had been manifested at Charles- 
ton. The forts were repaired and paitially reconstiiicted , 
new batteries had been 
built, including a formid- 
able floating affair, com- 
posed of logs and layers 
of railway iron. All was 
in readiness for the cap- 
ture of Sumter, although 
it was felt that by this 
act the Eubicon would be 
crossed and the momen- 
tous issue precipitated. 
Early in February the 
women and children had 
been sent away from tlie 
fort, and the little gar- 
rison patiently awaited 
the decree of fate, willing 
to die but determined to 

defy dishonor. The muster roll numbered only eighty-one 
persons, including Major Robert Anderson, First Lieutenants 
Jefferson C. Davis, George W. Snyder, Truman Seymour, 
Theodore Talbot and Norman J. Hall. Second Lieutenant 
Richard K. Mead, Assistant Surgeon Samuel W. Crawford, 
twenty-two non-commissioned officers and fifty-one privates. 
Opposed to this handful of men the Confederates had grouped a 
force of 7,000 men under arms, and had 140 pieces of heavy 
ordnance in position. 

The ''Charge of the Six Hundred" at Balaklava, brillianu 
blunder as it was, pales in audacity and heroism when com- 




P. G, T, BEAtTEEGARD. 



60 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

pared with the pohtic, well-considered, daring defiance of this 
pigmy garrison to its titanic assailants. 

For a brief period the beleagured garrison had but little diffi- 
culty in procuring supplies of food, and although it was pretty 
well understood that all communications with Washington were 
intercepted and read in Charleston, yet the channel was kept 
open to a certain extent. At last Anderson was notified by 
General Beauregard that the Montgomery authorities had or- 
dered the cutting off of all communications between the fort 
and the main land, and the stoppage of mails and supplies. On 
the 26th of March, Beauregard had tendered every facility for 
the evacuation of the fort, on the personal pledge of Ander- 
son that he would leave the defenses in good condition. The 
offer was peremptorily declined, but meanwhile no instruc- 
tions were received ; and finally, on the 5th of April, he 
wrote Adjutant-General Thomas, pleading for orders of some 
kind as an act of justice, and stating that in a few days, 
at least, the garrison must starve at its post or abandon the 
fort. 

On the 8th of April the dispatch of President Lincoln to 
Governor Pickens was received in Charleston, and sent on to 
Montgomery. In reply, Beauregard was ordered to demand the 
surrender of Sumter. The critical moment had arrived, and 
Charleston was aflame with excitement, wliich was fanned by 
hot-headed men from other disloyal States anxious to precipi- 
tate that state of affairs so admirably described by Talleyrand as 
that when " All things solid and valuable sink to the bottom 
and only straws and things valueless float on the surface." Two 
of these straws were Roger A. Pry or and Edmund Ruffin, of 
Virginia. The first made an incendiary speech on the evening 
of the 10th, in which he cursed the Union, urged the excited 
people to strike a blow at once, and promised the immediate 
secession of VirgiDia if it was done. The second of these 
worthies went beyond mere oratory ; he begged permission to 
fire the first shot at Fort Sumter, was accorded the coveted 
boon, and by it covered himself with dishonor only eqaaled by 
a,nother shot which he fired on the 17tli of June, 1865, at Dan- 
ville, Va., when, a hoary-headed miscreant of eighty years, 



MAJOR ANDERSON'S PERIL. 61 

ruined by the war he had precipitated, he committed suicide by- 
blowing off the top of his head. 

Under the promptings of such men, Charleston became a 
veritable Pandemonium during the night of the 10th of April 
and the twenty-four hours following. At 2 p. m. on Thursday, 
April 11, Beauregard sent a formal demand for the surrender 
of the fort. Major Anderson promptly replied that he could 
not, in honor, comply, and added : " I will await the first shot, 
and if you don't batter us to pieces, we Tvill be starved out in a 
few days." 

At a late hour the same night Beauregard, under orders from 
Confederate Secretary of War Walker, sent a second communi- 
cation to Anderson, offering that if he would name a time for 
the evacuation and consent to suspend hostilities, none should 
be employed against him. Major Anderson replied that, 
anxious to avoid bloodshed, he would agree to leave the fort 
by noon on the 15th, unless he should in the meantime receive 
supplies or controlling instructions from his government. The 
night bad slipped away, snd it was 2 A. M. on the 12th when 
Anderson gave his written reply, unsealed, by request, to 
Beauregard's aids. Colonels Chesnut, Chisholm, Pryor and 
Captain Lee. That the tenor of the reply had been foreseen 
and preparations made, in accordance with Walker's instruc- 
tions, to reduce the fort by any means, is proved by the fact 
that the aids were instructed to require an "unsealed " reply. 

These men, in accordance with discretionary powers, read 
the note, held a hasty consultation within tfie fort, and by half- 
past three o'clock had handed to Anderson the following ulti- 
matum : " By authority of Brigadier General Beaure- 
gard, commanding the provisional forces of the Confederate 
States, we have the honor to notify you that he will open the 
fire of his batteries on Fort Sumter in one hour from this time." 

This called for no reply, and the aids at once left the fort. 
The Stars and Stripes were flung to the breeze of the early dawn ; 
the men were withdrawn from the ramparts and sent to the 
bomb-proofs in readiness for the attack. It should here be noted 
that Anderson's messenger to Washington having been trapped 
on his return journey, the Major was unaware of the reUef 



62 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

expedition, while the Confederates not only knew all the de- 
tails, bub were also cognizant of the fact that the Harriet Lane 
and the Pawnee were already outside the harbor. In Charleston 
the bustle and preparation was seen on all sides. Military had 
been summoned by telegraph, hospital arrangements made, 
and at midnight the signal of seven guns called the reserves 
from their quarters. To increase the confusion nature took a 
hand in the performance, and heaven's artillery crashed and 
rumbled as a southwest storm came up. 

The dreadful suspense of that memorable hour was endured 
in silence by the patriot; band. It passed, and then a signal 
from a battery near Fort Johnson was followed by a shell from 
Cummings' Point, which exploded over Sumter. 

Ruffin had fired his " first shot at Fort Sumter." Scarcely 
yet even have its echoes ceased to reverberate. 

The first shell was almost immediately followed by a furious 
cannonade from all the works, new and old, which encircled 
the fort. For hours the attack was endured without any 
reply, the storm meanwhile raging with unabated fury. 

The garrison in Sumter took their breakfast at the usual 
hour, 6:30 a. m., and then divided into three relief s, each to work 
the guns four hours, the return fire was begun at 7 a. m. on the 
12th of April. The lower tier of guns opened on Fort Moultrie, 
the iron battery on Cummings' point, two batteries on Sulli- 
van's island and the floating battery simultaneously. By this 
time the pent-up enthusiasm of all had burst the bounds of 
routine discipline, the two reliefs, oflSlcers and men, rushed to 
the aid of the firing party, and hurled iron defiance at all the 
leading works of the enemy. It was soon apparent, however, 
that beyond inflicting slight damage Uttle could be effected 
towards silencing this formidable attacking force. It was soon 
found that there was no portion of the fort not exposed to the 
fire of mortars. The fire of the enemy, which at first had been 
wild, became more effective as time wore on and began to tell 
on the walls. Some of the guns were disabled, and soon the 
barracks were found to be on fire. By active exertion this was 
subdued, but twice afterwards during that day the terrible 
experience was repeated. The disadvantages of the garrison 



DEFENSE OF FORT SUMTER. C3 

were very great; they had no sighting instruments for the guns, 
nothing with which to weigh powder, and then tlie cartridges 
were expended. The men tore uj) shirts to make cartridge 
bags. Tlie firing, however, was maintained steadily throughout 
the day, for although several men had been wounded 
none were actually disabled. In fact during the whole of the 
engagement not a man was killed by hostile missiles, on 
either side. At 6 p. m. the firing from Sumter ceased, but the 
enemy's batteries were at work all through the night, at twenty- 
minute intervals. At dawn on the 13th the attack was resumed 
in earnest, and about an hour later the fort began to reply. 
At 8 o'clock the officers' quarters were set on fire by a shell, 
and this compelled a slackening of the firing, as the men were 
taken away to aid in combatting the flames. The attack became 
fiercer than ever as the dense volume of smoke arising from 
the fort gave evidence of the havoc within, and with diabolical 
malignity red-hot shot were thrown with the utmost rapidity. 
The spread of the flames soon endangered the magazine and the 
service powder, some ninety barrels of which had been brought 
out for use. This was rolled into the sea to prevent explosion. 
By 12 o'clock the whole roof of the barracks was in flames, and 
shortly before 1 o'clock the flag staff was shot through and the 
flag fell in the glowing embers. It was promptly rescued and 
displayed from the ramparts. Those on shore believed 
that the flag had been lowered in token of submission, 
and ex-Senator Wigfall came off in a boat with a white 
handkerchief as a flag of truce. No heed was taken of 
this, however, and the volunteer negotiator found himself in 
imminent peril from the guns of his own party. In frantic 
terror he asked to be admitted, but was repulsed by the 
sentinel. Effecting a landing at another point, he finally 
obtained an interview with Major Anderson, and falsely repre- 
senting himself as the agent of General Beauregard, began to 
treat for the surrender. Anderson at length agreed to evacuate 
the fort at once on the same terms as had been previously pro- 
posed, viz., the privilege of saluting and retaining the flag of 
the fort, removing all company arms and property and all pri- 
vate property, and receiving every facility for reaching any 



64 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

post in the United States that the commander might select. In 
full faith that Wigfall had power to treat with him, Major 
Anderson ordered the firing on his side to cease, as it must have 
done under any circumstances almost immediately, for the ex- 
temporized cartridges then in the guns comprised the entire 
remaining ammunition. A white flag was raised over the fort 
and Wigfall left. Shortly before two o'clock the official aids 
of General Beauregard came direct from headquarters to in- 
quire the meaning of the white flag, and then to his infinite 
disgust Major Anderson found that Wigfall had not seen Beau- 
regard in two days and had no authority whatever. He was 
furious over the trick played upon him and declared the white 
flag should come down at once. Yielding to entreaty, how- 
ever, he consented to let it remain till the officers could person- 
ally communicate with their commander. During the rest of 
the day several attempts were made to modify the terms, but 
Anderson refused a single point, and at length, about 8 p. m., 
an official communication from Beauregard arrived at the fort 
consenting to the terms for which Anderson had contended. 

During all this the relief squadron outside had been passive 
witnesses of the engagement, but the precautions of the enemy 
were such that no aid could be rendered. The garrison had be- 
come aware of their presence and immediately after the agree- 
ment had been made with Beauregard a couple of Anderson's 
staff were sent to the squadron to arrange for the departure of 
the garrison. 

At an early hour on Sunday morning all dispositions had 
been made within the fort. The messengers of Major Anderson 
had returned wdth the Captain of one of the relief squadron, 
and the steamer Isabel, provided by the Charleston military 
authorities arrived to convey the garrison to the Baltic, lying 
outside the bar. The flag was raised again over the fort and 
the salute of one hundred guns begun. Before half of this 
salute had been fired some ammunition exploded, killing pri- 
vate Daniel Hough and wounding several others, including pri- 
vate Edward Gallway, who was mortally injured. This ended 
the salute, and the Palmetto guard entered the fort to assist in 
burying Hough. The garrison having evacuated the fort and 



FORT SUMTER EVACUATED. 



65 



crone on board the Isabel, that vessel remained near the mined 



stronjsrhold until tide 



served on Monday 



morning, when they 



were put on board the Baltic, from the masthead of which soon 
fluttered the flag for which they had fought so gallantly against 
such fearful odds. 

In the course of Sunday, Governor Pickens, General Beaure- 
gard, and a number of official and private citizens of Charles- 
ton, took formal possession of Fort Sumter and soon floated 
the Palmetto and Confederate flags over it. 




FORT SUMTER AFTER THE BOMBAKDMENT. 

Major Anderson and his associates landed in New York on 
the 18th, when the " Flag of Fort Sumter" was again displayed 
from the mast-head of the Baltic and saluted by all the forts of 
that harbor. It is needless to recount the honors which an 
enthusiastic people showered upon the brave commander and 
his devoted band; suffice it to say that in addition to the marks 
of public approval, the President, on May 14th, one month 
after the evacuation, honored Major Anderson by promoting 
him to the rank and pay of brigadier general. 



66 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR 

We cannot better conclude this chapter of the first actual 
warfare than by giving Major Anderson's official dispatch to 
the Secretary of War, which was sent from the Baltic when 
off Sandy Hook. It was in these words: 

"Having defended Fort Sumter for thirty-four hours, until the quarters 
were entirely burned, the main gates destroyed by fire, the gorge wall 
seriously injured, the magazine surrounded by flames, and its doirs closed 
from the effects of heat, four barrels and four cartridges of powder only 
bein;r available, and no provisions but pork remaining, I accepted terms of 
evacuation offered by General Beauregard, being the same offered by him 
on the 11th inst., prior to the commencement of hostilities, and marched out 
of the fort Sunday afternoon, the 1-ith inst., with colors flying and drums 
beating, bringing away company and private property and saluting my flag 
with fifty guns.'" 

This brief epitome of a terrible struggle and its results ex- 
hibits at once the modesty and the straightforward courage of 
the noble soldier. Left to his own resources he had defended 
the honor of the flag till only life remained to defend it longer, 
yet the dispatch magnifies neither the service nor its fearful 
peril. 



CHAPTER V. 

LINCOLN'S FIRST CALL FOR TROOPS— THE QUOTAS OF THE STATES— SECESSION 
RE1?T7SALS TO RESPOND— THE FATAL RIOT IN BALTIMORE — FIRST BLOODSHED 
OF THE "WAR— THE EVACUATION OF HARPER'S FERRY— SPREAD OF CONFED- 
ERATE SENTIMENT — LYING RUMORS OF DEFECTIONS— AN EARLY SPECIMEN OF 
REPUDIATION DOCTRINES. 

The evacuation of Sumter was an event for which the country 
was unprepared, although serious trouble in Charleston Harbor 
had been fully anticipated. The flag of the Union had been in- 
sulted; the pride of the nation out- 
raged and the news that the Pal- 
metto flag, an alien symbol, was 
flying ov^er a Federal fortress filled 
the cup of humiliation to the brim. 
Already the " yell of rebeldom" 
was heard in the exultation of the 
Southern element, and it was met 
and ans^vered by the hoarse mur- 
mur of indignation throughout the the rebel flag 
loj^al North. The long-threatened 

sectionalissue was an accomplished fact, "and Sumter has 
fallen" was the tocsin of war whicli called the merchant from 
his desk, the clerk from his counter and the farmer from his 
plough. With that promptitude which was one of his most 
sahent characteristics President Lincoln seized the tide of 
popular indignation at the flood and issued the following call 
for troops within three days of the evacuation: 

A PROCLAMATION 

By the President of the United States. 

Whereas, The laws of the United States have been for some tune past and 
are now opposed, and the execution thereof obstructed, in the States of 
Scurh Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi. Louisiana and 
Texas, by combinations too powerful to be suppressed by the ordinary com-se 
of iudicial proceedings, or by the powers vested in the marshals by law ; 
now, therefore, I. Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, in vir- 
tue of the power ia me vested by the Constitution and the laws, have thought 




G8 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

fit to call forth the militia of the several States of the Union to the aggre- 
gate number of 75,000, in order to suppress said combinations and to cause 
the laws to be duly executed. 

The details for this object will be immediately communicated to the State 
authorities through the War Department. I appeal to all loyal citizens to 
favor, facilitate and aid in this effort to maintain the honor, the inte;?rity 
and the existence of ovu* National Union, and the perpetuity of i^opular 
government, and to redress wrongs already long enough endured. I deem it 
proper to say that the first service assigned to the forces hereby called 
forth, will probably be to repossess the forts, places and property which have 
been seized from the Union ; and in every event the utmost care will be 
observed, consisteiitly with the objects aforesaid, to avoid any devastation, 
any destruction of, or interference with property, or any disturbance of 
peaceful citizens of any part of the country ; and I hereby command the 
persons composing the combinations aforesaid, to disperse and retire peace- 
ably to their respective abodes, within twenty days from this date. 

Deeming that the present condition of pubUc afiiair.s presents an extraor- 
dinary occasion, I do hereby, in virtue of the power in u.e vested by the 
Constuution, convene both Houses of Congress. The Senators and Repre- 
sentatives are, therefore, summoned to assemble at their respective cham- 
be: s at 12 o'clock, noon, on Thursday, the fourth day of July next, then and 
there to consider and determine such measures as in their wisdom the 
public safety and interest may seem to demand. 

In witness whereof, I have heretmtoset my hand, and caused the Seal of 
the United States to be affixed 

Done at the City of Washington, this fifteenth day of April, in the year of 
our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, and of the Independ- 
ence of the United States the eighty-fifth. 

Abraham Lincoln. 

By the President. 

William H. Seward, Secretary of State. 

The following is the form of the call on the respective State 
Governors for troops, issued through the War Department : 

Sir: —Under the Act of Congress for calling out the mihtia to execute the laws 
of the Union, to suppress insurrection, to repel invasion, etc., approved Feb- 
ruary 28th, 1795, I have the honor to request your Excellency to caiose to 
be immediately detailed from the militia of your State the quota designated 
in the table below, to serve as infantry or riflemen for a period of three 
months, imless sooner discharged . Your Excellency will please communi- 
cate to me the time at about which your quota will be expected at its ren- 
dezvous, as it will be met as soon as practicable by an officer or officers to 
muster it into service and pay of the United States. At the same time the 
oath of fidelity to the United States will be administered to every officer and 
man. The mustering officers will be instructed to receive no man under the 
rank of commissioned officer who is in years apparemly over 45 or under 
18, or who is not in physical strength and vigor. The quota for each State 



THE DRAFT RESISTED. 69 

i!^ as follows (in regiments) : Maine 1, New Hampshire 1, Vermont 1, Mas- 
saclmsetls 2, Rhode Island 1, Connecticut 1, Now York 17, New Jersey 4, 
Pennsjivania 16, Delaware 1, Tennesee 2, Maryland 4, Virginia 3, North 
Carolina 2, Kentucky 4, Arkansas 1, Missouri 4. Ohio 13, Indiana 6, Illinois 
6, Michigan 1, Iowa 1, Minnesota 1, Wisconsin 1. 

It is ordered that each regiment shall consist, on an aggregate, of officers 
and men, of 780. The total thus to be called out is 73,391 . The remainder 
to constitute the 75,000 men under the President's proclamation will be 
composed of troops in the District of Columbia. 

This proclamation and resultant order was followed on the 
i9th of April by a Presi'^ential proclamation declaring a block- 
ade of the ports of the seceding States in consequence of 
secession threats to issue "letters of marque"' {i.e., pirate 
licenses). 

Simultaneously, General Orders No. 3 of the War Department 
declared "the Military Department of Washington extended so 
as to include, in addition to the District of Columbia and Mary- 
land, the States of Delaware and Pennsylvania, to be com- 
manded by Major-General Patterson, Pennsylvania Volun- 
teers." 

So thick will be the oncoming cloud of events from this time 
forward that we must endeavor to forbear from comment and 
confine ourself to the task of classifying and recording inci- 
dents, but we cannot avoid, just here, calling attention to the 
shrewdness of the President in not only seizing upon the period 
of fever heat in his demand for troops, but also in appeal- 
ing to the calmer, though equally powerful, impulses of 
patriotism by selecting Independence Day for the assembling of 
Congress. This point has hitherto escaped notice, or at any rate 
comment, but none can doubt that Lincoln meant to make it. 

In the free labor States the call for troops was received with 
unbounded enthusiasm; the President meant business, and the 
people were with him. Party lines became confused, even the 
better element's of the Democracy of the North denouncing 
rebellion. 

In the slave labor States included in the proclamation call the 
leaven of secession was at once set working. In various tones 
of insolent defiance the Governors of Kentucky, North Carolina, 
Vii'ginia, Tennessee, Arkansas and Missouri rephed to General 



70 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL AVAR. 

Cameron, refusing to obey the mandate for militia quota. The 
repJv of Governor B. MagofiBii, of Kentucky, on the 16th of 
April, the earliest received, may be taken as the text of the 
entire set, in spirit, though others, notably those of Governor 
Letcher, of Virginia, and Governor Ellis, of North Carolina, 
were more violent in terms. 

Governor Magoffin's reply was: "'Your dispatch is received. 
In answer. I say emphatically, Kentucky will furnish no 
troops for the wicked purpose of subduing her sister Southern 
States." 

That these refusals were based on instructions from the 
Confederate Congress at Montgomery, Alabama, does not admit 
of a doubt, many expressions being absolutely identical in 
sentiment in each case. 

The debatab]'^ States of Maryland and Delaware, probably on 
account of nearness to the first brunt of battle in one case and 
of insignificance in size in the other, were more guarded in 
language. Governor Hicks, of Maryland, declared that no 
troops should be sent from the State except to defend the city 
of Washington. It was a lame dog's limp in the way of refusal 
or defiance. It was not until the 26tli of April that Governor 
Burton, of Delaware, could settle on his course, or get it settled 
for him, for there is a suspicious undertone which suggests the 
latter idea. He informed the Department that he doubted his 
power constitutionally to comply. At the same time, for the 
protection of his State and the preservation of the Union, he 
suggested that he be empowered to orgaoize local volunteer 
companies, and he issued a proclamation for this purpose. 

President Davis had meanwhile, two days after the call for 
troops, issued a counter proclamation declaring that an inten- 
tion had been announced to invade the Confederacy, capture 
its fortresses and subject its free people to the dominion of a 
foreign power. He invited offers from those desirous of 
engaging in privateering to apply to him for authority to do so. 

This was met by the blockade proclamation. Davis further 
summoned the Congress of the Confederate States to meet at 
Montgomery, Alabama, oa April 29th. We must here antici- 
pate events, and state that on the 6th of May that body passed 



THE BALTIMOEE RIOT. 71 

an elaborate act recognizing the existence of war between the 
United States and the Confederacy, providing for letters of 
marque and authorizing the Confederate President to execute 
general reprisal against the vessels, goods and effects of the 
United States, and of the citizens or inhabitants of the States or 
Territories thereof. In point of fact, upon the " go-as-you- 
please" theory under which the Confederacy was created, 
Davis issued privateering permits long before the authority to 
do so was conferred upon him by his Congress. 

In the loyal States, as we shall show in detail later, the 
greatest activity prevailed m responding to the call for troojDS. 
Unfortunately, while the passionate press of the South was 
breathing defiance, war and bloodshed, that of the North was 
not one whit behind in its promptings of stern measures of re- 
pression, and thus day by day the fearful chasm was widened 
by those whose solemn, almost sacred, duty it is to conserve 
commercial mterests and heal social and political differences. 
As a matter of course the fruit of such indiscretion was soon 
ripe for the j^icking, and in the city of Baltimore the harvest 
commenced. Here was shed the first blood of the Civil War. 

The concluding paragraph of Governor Hicks' proclamation, 
dated April 18th, told the people of Maryland that they would 
shortly have afforded them, in a special election for members 
of Congress, an opportunity to express their devotion to the 
Union, or their desire to see it broken up. Coincidently Major 
George W. Brown, of Baltimore, issued a proclamation endors- 
ing the Governor's sentiments, and suggesting that if his coun- 
sels should be disregarded "a fearful and fratricidal strife may 
at once burst forth in our midst." 

Within twenty-four hours this sanguinary prediction was- 
verified. 

On April 19th, the anniversary of the battle of Lexington, 
intense excitement prevailed in Baltimore, resulting from 
incendiary speeches made by Wilson C. N. Carr, Wilham 
Burns, President of the National Volunteer Association, and 
others, at a monster secession meeting held the previous night 
in that city, with T. Purkin Scott presiding. 
The Virginia State Convention, held on the 17th of April, 



7^3 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

passed the " ordinance to repeal the ratification of the Constitu- 
tion of the United States of America by the State of Virginia, 
and to reserve all the rights and powers granted under said 
authorities." This was to be submitted for ratification on the 
fourth Thursday in May, and if so ratified to take effect and be 
an act of the day it was passed by the Convention. 

During the afternoon of the 18th the first section of the 
troops from Pennsylvania, summoned hastily for the defenpe 
of the Capital, passed through Baltimore, and though bitterly 
vituperated had not been physically molested. They reached 
Washington about seven P. M. and were at once quartered in the 
Hall of Representatives at the Capitol. It is almost an open 
secret that they arrived not an hour too soon for the frustration 
of a plot of gigantic proportions. By this time a delegation 
from Virginia had reached Baltimore with a demand that 
neither troops nor munitions of war should pass over the Balti- 
more & Ohio Eailroad. These men, aided by local leaders, 
fomented the mob spirit which now pervaded the city, and 
during the night secret meetings w^ere held at which plans for 
the coming day were matured. At the same time the evacuation 
and destruction of Harper's Ferry were consummated, and this 
news still further inflamed the groups which had gathered by 
early dawn on the 19th. It was known that more troops were en 
route and a riot was decided on. Shortly after eleven o'clock 
that morning a train containing portions of the Sixth Mas- 
sachusetts and the Seventh Pennsylvania arrived at the 
President street depot from Philadelphia. The Massachusetts 
Regiment occupied eleven cars, and these were, according to 
the then existing regulations, drawn through the streets of the 
city, singly, by horses to the Camden street depot. An 
ominous-looking mob had assembled, but at first a 
sullen silence was maintained. Ere the cars had gone a 
couple of blocks, however, the crowd became so dense that the 
horses could barely force their way through. Then began a 
chorus of hoots and yells mingled with threats. The troops re- 
mained quiet, and this, instead of appeasing, appeared to anger 
the rioters. Brickbats and stones were hurled, and it became 
evident that these missiles were not accidentally at hand. 



THE BALTIMORE RIOT. 73 

Many of the men were wounded, but the first eight cars reached 
Camden street depot without serious damage. The ninth car 
was not so fortunate, for a defective br:^ke caused a halt at Gay 
street, and the mob, now numbering from 8,000 to 10,000, made 
a furious onslaught. This car, with some damage, also reached 
the Camden-street depot. Behind it, however, were two other 
cars confronted by a barricade hastily constructed of anchors 
and other materials dragged from the wharf. Finding further 
transportation impossible, the men were ordered to leave the 
cars and were formed into close columns under Captain A. S. 
Follansbee, of Company C, of Lowell. With fixed bayonets 
they advanced on the double-quick in the direction of the 
Washington station. The mob closed on them, muskets were 
snatched away, and amid throwing of missiles, revolver shots, 
and bullets from i^he stolen muskets, the patience of 
the troops at last gave way. Two of their number had been 
killed and several wounded had been taken within the solid 
square which was now formed. An order was given to turn 
and fire singly ; there was no platoon firing or the carnage in 
that dense mass would have been appalling. On Pratt street, near 
Gay street, one man was crushed by a stone or heavy piece of 
iron thrown from a window. After a protracted struggle the 
troops reached the depot, bearing with them their dead, now 
increased to three, and nine wounded comrades, one of them 
mortally injured. They were hustled into the train and sent 
off, but the mob followed for a considerable distance and made 
frantic efforts to throw the cars from the tracko In the streets 
nine of the Baltimorians had been killed and a great number 
wounded. The Mayor of Baltimore had headed the column for 
a short time, but he could not allay the storm he bad raised, and 
finding his person in danger he disappeared. 

While this battle was being waged the Pennsylvanian military, 
wholly unarmed, remained in the freight and passenger cars at 
the President street station. General Small proposed to retire 
with them, but before this could be effected a large section of 
the mob, baffled in attempts to seize arms at the Custom House 
or at a local armory, rushed ui^on the defenseless troops with 
their murderous missiles. Several hand-to-hand fights ensued 



74 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

and many were badly wounded on both sides; but finally, 
through the efforts of Marshal Kane, the Pensylvanians were 
placed on board the cars and taken back to Philadelphia. 

The mob continued its excesses about the streets of the city, 
plundering gunsmiths and breathing secession and vengeance. 

Mayor Brown and Governor Hicks each sent dispatches to the 
President, notifying him of the affray and advising him that no 
more troops could pass through Baltimore without fighting their 
way. 

A meeting of Secessionists was held in Monument Square, at 
which Mayor Brown, General George H. Stewart and others 
promised the mob that no troops should pass through the city 
hereafter and begged them to disperse. 

The meeting broke up, but excited gangs prowled around 
seeking for arms and threatening violence to Union citizens. 

We will turn from this scene for the present, and close this 
chapter with a fragment of concurrent history. We cannot 
more concisely do this than by quoting Lieutenant Jones' official 
report: 

Carlisle Babracks, Pa., April 20, 1861. 
To the Assistant Adjutant-General, Headquarters Army, Washington, 
D. C: 

Sir : Immediately after finishing my dispatch of the night of the 18th 
inst., I received positive and reliable information that 2,500 or 3,000 State 
troops would reach Harper's Ferry in two hours from Winchester, and that 
the troops from HaUtown, increased to 300, were advancing, and even at that 
time— a few minutes after 10 o'clock— were within 20 minutes' march of the 
Ferry. Under these circumstances, I decided that the time had arrived to 
carry out my determination, as expressed in the said dispatch above re- 
ferred to, and accordingly gave the order to apply the torch. In three 
minutes, or less, both of the arsenal buildings, containing 15,000 stand of 
arms, together with the carpenter's shop, which was at the upper end of a 
long and connected series of workshops of the armory proper, were ia a 
complete blaze . There is every reason for believing the destruction was 
complete. After firing the buildings, I withdrew my command, marching 
all night, and arrived here at 2]4 p- m. yesterday, where I shall await orders. 
Four men were missing on leaving the armory and two deserted during the 
night. 

I am, sir, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

R. Jones, First Lieutenant R. M. Rifles, 

Commanding Dept. Rect. 

As in Anderson's case at Sumter, so in this, the Government 



SINISTER SECESSION SCANDALS. 75 

appreciated the ready tact and sterling pluck which contrasted 
so nobly with opposing treachery. Lieutenant Jones was pro- 
moted on the 22d of Aj^ril to be Assistant Quartermaster General, 
with the rank of Captain. 

Almost sinaultaneously with the attack on Harper's Ferry, 
another Virginia raid was made on the Gosport Navy Yard, 
opposite Norfolk, on the Elizabeth River, the particulars of 
which we shall note in a subsequent chapter. On all sides the 
Confederates were active, and giving evidence of long-con- 
templated, well-laid plans for the seizure of the National 
capital. To increase the general consternation, lying rumors of 
important defections were set afloat, the most serious being a 
positive announcement made at Montgomery, on April 22d, 
that General Scott had resigned his position in the army and 
tendered his sword to his native State — Virginia. This canard 
was emphasized by the firing of one hundred guns at Mobile 
"in honor of Scott's resignation." 

Tliis was promptly met by a speech delivered in Ohio by 
Senator Douglas, who, alluding to the rumor, stated that he 
had seen and conversed with the chairman of the committee 
appointed by the Virginia Convention to tender the command 
of the forces of that State to General Scott. The General, after 
patiently listening to the infamous proposal, replied : "I have 
served my coimtry under the flag of the Union for more than 
fifty years, and as long as God permits me to live I will defend 
that flag with m}^ sword — even if my own native State assails 
it." About the same time General Scott, on April 21st, tele- 
graphed to Senator Crittenden, of Kentucky: "I have not 

CHANGED : HAVE NO THOUGHT OF CHANGING : ALWAYS A UnION 

MAN." 

Though promptly contradicted, the poison of these artful 
rumors vitiated public confidence, even brothers looked askance 
at each other, and every face was eagerly scanned to try and 
penetrate a probable mask. The "times that tried men's souls" 
in the days of Washington were hours of comfort compared 
with those which ushered in the four yeai's' fratricidal strife. 

It may be pertinent here to note a sample of correspondence 
which fell into the hands of a New York journalist at this period. 



76 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

as giving an indication of the spirit animating all. It was a 
letter from a merchant in a Tennessee town, dated April 20, 
1861, and ran thus: 

" Gentlemen : Qui* note to you for $187.12, due to-day, has not been paid. 
We deeply regret the necessity that impels us to say, that during the exis- 
tence of this war we are determined to pay no notes due our Northern 
friends." 

Whatever else these worthies had omitted to learn, or had 
wilfully forgotten, it is quite plain that the example of the 
Israelites, at the period of the Exodus, had been remembered 
and was being carefully imitated. They were determined to 
'* spoil the Egyptians" so far as they had any power to do so. 



CHAPTER VI. 

INTERMEDIARY EVENTS — THE RESPONSES OF THE LOYAL STATES — UNIONISTS 
RALLYING ROUND THE FLAG — MEN AND MONEY FOR GOVERNMENT AID — 
EXCITEMENT IN PHILADELPHIA — MEETINGS ELSEWHERE — SPREAD OP 
SOUTHERN SECESSION — JOTTINGS OF EVENTS AMONG THE CONFEDERATES. 

To keep pace, as nearly as may be, vrith the rapidly rushing 
current of exciting events, we must turn aside from the struggle 
in Maryland and Virginia for a kaleidoscopic chapter of 
incidents in various localities, disconnected in themselves, yet 
all having a bearing more or less direct on the war now actually 
begun. 

Throughout the North in the early days of April the responses 
to the President's call for troops were ample and enthusiastic, 
banks, corporations and wealthy citizens were liberal in their 
tenders of the sinews of war, and impressive Union meetings 
passed resolutions in which all partisan feeling was thrown to 
the winds and undying fidelity to the President and the Consti- 
tution was pledged in the most unequivocal terms. In Phila- 
delphia the publication of some alleged newspapers, termed 
respectively The Palmetto Flag and TJie Southern Mon- 
itor, brought out an excited crowd and for a time 
rioting was feared. The office of the first named paper, 
at Fourth and Chestnut streets, was surrounded, and it 
would probably have been gutted but for the merely money- 
making character of the pfoprietor being evidenced in his dis- 
play of the American flag, and his throwing into the street, 
along with the objectionable periodical, copies of the Stars and 
Strqjcs, another of his productions. The crowd laughed — and 
that always ends the malice of a mob. A good laugh is cer- 
tainly a great institution. Tlie Southern Monitor man had 
admonished himself, and probably taken shelter under the 
actual ' • Palmetto ; " at any rate the angry loyalists did not find 
him, and their expenditure on the stout hemp with which thej^ 
were amply provided was so much money wasted. As the 



78 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

paper had been suspended and the editor could not be, the only 
other possible alternative was adopted, and that was to prevent 
the continued hanging of the sign-boards he had left behind 
him. These were smashed, and then the crowd hurried to the 
residence of General Patterson, at Thirteenth and Locust 
streets. Evil tongues had slandered the brave, bluff, rugged 
son of Tyrone, and had dared to impute secession sentiments to 
the gallant Irishman. The terrified imprudence of a domestic 
who slammed the door in the faces of the excited throng well- 
nigh brought about the sacking of the mansion. The Mexican 
hero, however, appeared at a window, bearing the colors of his 
regiment, and a few of his sturdy sentences converted groans 
and yells into cheers. General Cadwallader, another Mexican 
veteran, was next visited. A stanch Union speech and the 
display of the National flag satisfied the crowd here. Meantime 
Mayor Henry had hoisted the stars and stripes and quieted the 
people by a ringing speech, in which, after the emphatic 
declaration, " By the grace of Almighty God treason shall 
never rear its head nor have a foothold in Philadelphia," he 
counselled all good citizens to prove their loyalty by going 
quietly to their homes and leaving the constituted authorities to 
do, as they certainly w^ould, their sworn duty of preserving the 
peace and preventing every act which could be construed into 
treason to their country. While the mob spirit was quelled, 
however, an undercurrent of indignation still ran swiftly, and 
so-called Vigilance Committees warned prominent Southerners, 
including Robert Tyler, that their suspected Secession proclivi- 
ties might endanger their safety. On the 19th of April the City 
Councils of Philadelphia appropriated $1,000,000 to equip 
volunteers and support their families during their absence. 
The atmosphere of the City of Brotherly Love was decidedly 
unhealthy for the cultivation of the Palmetto species of 
vegetation. 

A few days before this a war bill, with an appropriation of 
$3,000,000, had been passed by the New York Legislature, and 
signed by the Governor. The authorities of Boston ap- 
propriated $100,000, and those of Lowell, Massachusetts, 
$8,000 for enhstment and support purposes. Norwich, 



CONTRIBUTIONS OF LOYAL STATES. 79 

Connecticut, gave $14,000 for the same objects. Fall 
River, Massachusetts, not only voted $10,000 for immedi- 
ate use, but an enthusiastic meeting urged the payment 
of $20 per month to each volunteer in addition to Government 
pay. In New Jersey, Governor Olden's message to the Legisla- 
ture recommended a loan of $2,000,000 for war purposes, a State 
tax of $100,000 per annum, the thorough arming of the State, 
and the raising of four regiments additional to those called for. 
Among private offers was that of Colonel Samuel Colt, of Hart- 
ford, Connecticut, who, on the 25th of April, offered the execu- 
tive of that State his services in organizing a i-egitnent of ten 
companies equipped with his revolving breecli rifles, with saber 
bayonets, at a personal cost of over $50,000. To sum up, we 
will mention that the contributions of the citizens of the North 
during the three weeks preceding May 7th, 1861, amounted to 
$28,277,000. Pennsylvania led tlie column with a free gift of 
$3,500,000. New York and Ohio gave $3,000,000 each ; Con- 
necticut and Illinois, $2,000,000 each ; Maine, $1,300,000 ; Ver- 
mont and New Jersey, $1,000,000 (the Legislature of the latter 
State modified the Governor's suggestions) ; Wisconsin and 
Rhode Island, $500,000 each ; Iowa, $100,000. The contribu- 
tions of the principal cities were : New York, $2,173,000 ; Phila- 
delphia, $330,000 ; Boston, 186,000 ; Brooklyn, $75,000 ; Buffalo, 
$110,000 ; Cincinnati, $380,000 ; Detroit, $50,000 ; Hartford, 
$64,000. 

Enough has been shown to demonstrate that the loyalty of the 
North was substantial, and, with the record of a few significant 
episodes, we will leave this part of our subject and glance at 
matters within the Confederate lines. 

On the 17tli of April the bark Manhattan arrived at Boston 
from Savannah floating a Secession flag. A crowd jjromptly 
collected at the wharf and compelled Captain Davis to replace 
the obnoxious emblem by the Stars and Stripes. No further 
violence was offered. 

On the 19th of April a meeting of merchants of New York 
City was held at the Chamber of Commerce of that city, with 
Mr. Peletiah Perit presiding. Patriotic speeches were made by 
the Chairman, George Opdyke, James Gallatin, Royal Phelps, 



80 " HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

S. B. Chittenden, Prosper M. AVetmore, George W. Blunt, Jolm 
E. King, AVilliani E. Dodge. John A. Stevens, R. H. McCnrdy 
and othei's. Rosohitions upholding the Federal Government and 
urging a strict blockade of a 11 ports in the Secession States were 
unanimously adopted. An announcement that several regi- 
ments needed assistance to enable them to leave was responded 
to by donations, within ten minutes, of over |3 1,000. A com- 
mittee of influential capitalists was also appointed to use their 
exertions towards the immediate taking of the ^9,000.000 re- 
maining of the Government loan. From a window in Trinity 
Church steeple, .040 ftx^t above Broadway, an American flag 
forty feet long by twenty feet wide was flung out upon a huge 
flag-staff. Anotlier was displayed over the portico of St. Paul's 
Church. The chimes of Trinity meantime played "Yankee 
Doodle," the "Red, "White and Blue," and concluded with "All's 
Well." Despite a factious minority, it was evident that the 
great heart of a gi-eat metropolitan city beat sti'ongly in response 
to the most patriotic impulses. One single thought stirred the 
masses, and that was, "tlic Unioti must he pn screed," 

We will now turn our attention to the Confederacy , and by a 
running summary of movements and events iii the Secession 
section, come up abreast with the Baltimore riot. 

While the loyalty of the North was being so amply demon- 
strated, the troops in Texas, trapped by the treachery of Twiggs, 
were sulleriug sad humiliation and privation. Isolated and de- 
serted, the oflicers at various points made gallant efforts to hold 
their positions, but overwhelming force compelled the evacua- 
tion of the several posts. Then another trouble arose. The 
Confederates had treated Avith a traitor, and at once absolved 
tliemselves from any inconvenient pledges they had made to 
him. He could not comi>el them to keep faith, and their theory 
was, " Might Overcomes Right." The Nemesis of this detestable 
doctrine they had to face later in the a\ ar. 

The promised facilities for the transportation of the evacuat- 
ing troops were withheld, and while the disheartened little 
l>ands were toilsomely wending their way seawai'd. Major Eai'le 
Van Dorn, a Mississip]>ian who had deserted the Union flag and 
accepteti a Colonel's conunission from Davis, attempted to se- 



TROUBLES IX TEXAS. ^1 



duce the stragglers from their allegiance to the Union. Failing 
in this, the Confederates re-^olved to employ harsher means. 
On the 17th of April the Star of the West was captured off In- 
dianola, with all her stores, some 900 barrels of provisions, by 
volimteers from Galveston. This vessel, nnder convoy of the 
Mohairl', had l)een sent to bring away troops under Major Sibley. 
A few davs later Major Sibley, after waiting vainly for the ex- 
pected succor, had embiu-ked his seven companies of national 
troops on a couple of schooners and attempted to pnss down 
Matagorda Bay. but he was met by four heavily-armed steamers 
with a large force of men under Van Dorn. and compelled to 
surrender off Saluria. Besides prisonei-s. the Confederates thus 
caDtured the camp equipage and some 300 rifles. Colonel 
Waite, with his staff and other oflicers, were insultingly made 
prisoners at San Antonio about the same time, and then Colonel 
Reese, with the remainder of the national troops, was outnum- 
bered and compelled to surrender to Van Dorn, at a point neai- 
San Lucas Springs, in middle Texas. All these officers were 
paroled : the men^ after a short period of irritating captivity, 
were released on their oaths not to again bear arms against the 
Confederacy. Thus Texas, by Twiggs' treachery, was torn 
from the control of the Federal Government. Continuing the 
work of spoliation and outrage in other quarters, Sheri-ard 
Clemens, late member of Congress for Richmond, Virginia, 
was imprisoned there for Union sentiments ; the Custom House 
and Post-Othce of the city were seized, as were also the New 
York packet steamer Jamestoini and a packet schooner from 

Maine. ^ 

At LilxH-ty, Missouri, the United States Arsenal, with its 1,300 
small arms 12 cannon and quantities of ammunition, was 
seized and a garrison of 100 INIissourians placed to guard it. 

At Charlotte, North Carolina, the United States Branch Mint 
was seized and occupied by Colonel Bryce and a military force, 
under orders of Governor Ellis. 

At Lynchourg, Virginia, Andrew Johnson. United States 
Senator from Tennessee, was mobbed, and an effort made to 
capture him, the mob asserting that he had promised the re- 
quired quota of men from Tennessee. Shortly after this General 



83 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

Harney, on his way from Wheeling, Virginia, to report at 
Washington, was taken from the train at Harper's Ferry by a 
body of State troops, and held prisoner by the Virginia anthori- 
ties. About this time a strong Union sentiment began develop- 
ment in Western Virginia, and a meeting held at Clarksburg, 
Harrison County, denounced the course of Governor Letcher, 
and appointed delegates to confer at Wheeling, on May 13th, 
Avith delegates from Eastern Virginia. An important accession 
to tlio Confederate ranks must be recorded just here. On the 
20th of April, Colonel Robert Edmund Lee, of Virginia, sent to 
(xeneral Scott, from his home on Arlington Heights, his letter 
of resignation from the Union army. TSvo days later he at- 
tended the Virginia Convention, and accepted the position of 
General-in-Chief of that State, the Secession Ordinance havmg 
been passed on the 17th. That this was part of a matured 
scheme, is shown by the fact that Alexander H. Stephens, Vice- 
Pi-esident of the Confederacy, was present to welcome liini. 
Thus as the Alpha, and subsequently as the Omega, of rebellion, 
the name of General Robert E. Lee passes into the history of 
the war. 

The surrender of the United States Arsenal at Fayetteville, 
North Carolina ; the capture of Fort Smith, Arkansas, by the 
State troops, together with property valued at $300,000 ; the 
seizure of the steamship Cahawha, at New Orleans, by Captain 
Shivers of the Cadds Rifles, and of the steamships Te.vas, Ten- 
nessee and G. W. Hewes at the same port, later, by order of Gov- 
ernor Moore, were events wliich followed in rapid sequence, 
and kept up the excitement of the period. 

By this time the rebel army stationed at Richmond niunbered 
three thousand and seventy-two men, of whom about six hun- 
dred were South Carolina troops, under conunand of Brigadier 
General M. L. Boidiam. 

With a quotation from the Southern press we can conclude 
this chapter of jottings. 

The Charleston JMcrcury, of April 32d, concluded an article 
headed "President Lincoln a Usurper," with these words : 
"He will deplore the ' liigher law ' depravity which has gov- 
erned his counsels. Seeking the sword, in spite of idl moral or 



ASSASSINATION INDICATIONS. S3 

constitutional restraints and obligations, he may perish by the 
sirord. He sleeps already with soldiers at his gate, and the 
grand reception-room of the White House is converted into 
quarters for troops from Kansas — border rufiians of Aboli- 
tionaom." 

Such an article speaks volumes, and, as we shall have occasion 
Jo show in the nai-rative of a personal reminiscence, in its proper 
place later on. indicates that assassination had even now entered 
into the speculations, at least, of the Secessionists. 



CHAPTER VII. 

FlfRTHER OUTRAGES AT BALTIMORE — BURNING THE RAILROAD BRIDGES — CAP- 
TURE OP THE OOSPORT NA\"Y YARD — BUTL :ii MOVES ON BALTIMORE — THE 
CITY OCCUPIED BY FEDERAL TROOPS— THE SPLIT IN VIRGINIA — UNION 
SENTIMENT IN THE MOUNTAIN COUNTIES— ORGANIZATION OP WEST VIR- 
GINIA—THE HABEAS CORPUS ACT DISREGARDED. 

On the night of the 19th of April, 1861, while the excitement 
in Baltimore was still seething, Bradley Johnson, of Frederick 
County, telegraphed Marshal Kane, offering armed aid to resist 
the passage of troops through the city. Tliis offer fitted in 




o^'A"*' 



DESTRUCTION OF THE BRIDGE OVER GUNPOWDER CREEK. 



nicely and was promptly accepted by wire. In the course of 
the next day Johnson, with a body of men hastily armed and 
ready for any deed of violence, reported to Kane and assumed 
quarters opposite the marshal's office. Meantime Kane and ex- 
Governor Lowe had broken in on the slumbers of Mayor Brown 
and Governor Hicks, and wrung from them quasi authority to 
destroy railroad communication between Philadelphia and Bal- 
timore. It was convenient afterwards to repudiate that au- 



BURNING THE BRIDGES. 85 

thority, but Kane was too wary a man to have acted without 
colorable permission, at least, from the Governor, for the work 
of destruction contemplate d was beyond the city limits. It was 
not difficult to get the secession sympathies of Mayor Brown en- 
listed in this work, nnd shortly after midnight Canton bridge, 
three miles beyond the city on the Philadelphia, Wilmington 
and Baltimore Railroad was destroyed. An approaching tniin 
was fired upon and the engineer compelled to back his tram, 
conveving the marauders to the bridges over the Gunpowder 
and Busli\^reek arms of Chesapeake Bay. To these the torch 
was applied, and while they were burning, two wooden bridges 
on the Northern Central, fifteen miles north of the city, on the 
road to Cockeysville, were also destroyed. All the telegraph 
wires out of Baltimore, except the one connecting the Maryland 
rioters with the Confederates at Richmond, via Harper's Ferry, 

were cut. 

While this was going on, the Committee sent from Baltimore 
were in conference with the President in W^aphington. urging 
that the passage of troops through Baltimore should be pro- 
hibited. The evasive answer of the President that a route 
around Baltimore should be adopted, did not meet the views of 
those whose real object was to cripple the Capital. They de- 
clared that the soil of Maryland should not be invaded, and 
extensive preparations were made to meet any emergency. In 
the small hours of Sunday morning, April 21st, the President, 
anxious to avoid a conflict, telegraphed for Hicks and Brown. 
The latter only was able to respond. Taking with him Messrs. 
S. T. Wallis, Brune and Dobbin, Mayor Brown presented him- 
self at the White House by 10 a. m. During the conference 
which ensued. General Scott proposed that troops should reach 
Annapolis bv water, and march thence to Washington. But 
this involved passing through INIaryland, and again the Mayor 
insisted upon the sacredness of the soil being preserved. The 
conference was futile, and the Baltimoreans withdrew. They 
quickly returned, however, having learned before reachmg the 
cars that a body of troops had arrived at Cockeysville, en route 
for Baltimore.' The result of a further conference was that 
General Scott, at the pacific and earnest recpest of the Presi- 



b6 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

dent, sent orders for the return of the troops to Harrisburg. 
Encouraged by this, a further demand was made on the 22d for 
a comprehensive order forbidding future passage of troops 
through any portion of Maryland, and the withdrawal of those 
already at Annapolis. Nor was this all ; the daring conspira- 
tors ventured to suggest that Lord Lyons, the British Minister, 
be requested to mediate between Maryland and the Federal 
Government and arrange the terms of a truce. In this the old- 
time anxiety to obtain even the shadow of belligerent rights was 
so palpable as to be absolutely insolent. 

Secretary Seward now took a hand in the matter, and scath- 
ingly rebuked Governor Hicks for the imxoertinent indecency of 
his proposition. He pointed out that, beyond the insolence of 
assumed sovereignty, the suggestion of the employment of a 
foreign power to regulate domestic differences w^as too humili- 
ating to be for a moment entertained. Another alleged attempt 
at diplomacy was made, and this time on an assumed basis of 
religious sentiment. Rev. Dr. Fuller, of the Baptist Church, 
Baltimore, with delegations from several of the Young Men's 
Christian Associations of the city, waited on the President and 
made lamb-like bleatings for peace and the avoidance of blood- 
shed, which they assured him could be secured by his recogni- 
tion of the independence of the Southern States and their ac- 
complished autononi}^. Grimly amused by this wolf-in-sheep's- 
clothing style of argument, Mr. Lincoln politely*but sternly 
reminded them that the safety of the Capital, and his own life, 
were endangered by the South Carolinians now pouring through 
Vu'ginia. In his quaint, deteiTnined manner, he added, ' ' I 
must have troops ; they can neither crawl under Maryland nor 
fly over it, they must come across it." To such an ultimatum 
there could be no reply but that of armed resistance, and the 
doves of peace returned to consort with the wolves of rapine 
and organize sanguinary defiance. Diplomatically, Baltimore 
was not heard from again. 

We have already noticed the Harper's Feny affair, and must 
now record an incident of even more importance — the occupa- 
tion of the navy yard at Gosport, on the Elizabeth River, oppo- 
site Norfolk, Virginia. The seizure of this was planned at the 



THE GOSPORT NAVY YARD. 87 

same time as that of Harper's Ferry, and on the 16th of April a 
couple of vessels were sunk in the channel of the river, blocking 
the passage of the ships at the navy yard. At this point were 
the following vessels, afloat or on the stocks, and in varying 
conditions as to service : The three-decker Pennsylvania, 120 
guns ; Columbus, 80 guns ; Delaware, 84 ; and New York, 84 — 
these latter were ships of the line — United States, Columbia and 
Raritan, frigates of 50 guns each ; Plymouth and Germantoicn, 
sloops of .32 guns each ; the brig Dolphin, 4: guns, and the steam 
frigate Merrimack. The navy yard itself, of immense area and 
fitted with all the most approved appliances, contained also 
some 2,000 heavy cannon, including 300 new Dahlgren guns. 
In all, the Government j^roperty at this point was worth at 
least ten millions of dollars. The designs of the Confederates 
were at least suspected, at Washington, and as early as the 
10th of April orders had been given to rush in work and quietly 
prepare for defense. Commodore McCauley, however, made 
haste so slowly that Engineer-in-Chief B. F. Isherwood was 
sent to press the work forward. His efforts were quietly frus- 
trated by McCauley, and even when, by personal supervision, 
Isherwood had got the Merrimack ready for sea by the 17th, 
delay was interposed and the fires were not lighted until the 
next day. Even then, despite the warnings and remonstrances 
of Isherwood, who was cognizant of obstructions planned by 
the Confederates at Sewell's Point and Craney Island, the Com- 
modore kept back his orders and finally extinguished tha fires. 
He claims to have been misled by his subordinates, chief among 
whom was Lieutenant M. F. Maury, a Virginian, but only the 
wildest stretch of charity could excuse sucli culpable folly, if 
not criminal indiscretion. On the 18th, these subordinate of- 
ficers having accomplished their designated task of treachery, 
sent in their resignations, and the same evening General Talia- 
ferro, in command of the forces in southwestern Virginia, took 
up quarters in Norfolk. The deserters joined him, and the next 
day the workmen in the yard were absent from roll-call. On 
the 20th, Taliaferro had mustered, for the attack on the yard, 
the military companies of Norfolk and Portsmouth, six hun- 
dred men from Petersburg, and the Richmond Grays, with 



88 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

fourteen heavy rifled cannon and ample ammunition, McCau- 
ley, finding resistance would be useless, sent a message to 
Taliaferro, promising that the vessels should not be moved, and 
that no shot should be fired, except for self-defense. His next 
work, either from excess of caution or from some other motive, 
was to order the scuttling of all the ships. This was done, ex- 
cept in the case of the Cumberland, which was saved by the 
opportune arrival of Captain Paulding, with orders to relieve 
McCauley, repel force at all hazards, and defend the public 
property. The time for efficient action, however, had passed, 
and Paulding i:>roceeded to complete the work of absolute de- 
struction by burning the sinking ships, to reduce the advantage 
which the enemy might obtain by getting possession of them. 
He further ordered the demolition of the cannon, and made 
arrangements for an extensive conflagration. At 2 a. m. on the 
21st, having got his men, troops, marines and a few loyal work- 
men on board the Cumberland and the Pawnee, he gave a rocket 
signal from the deck of the Pawnee, when Commander Rogers 
and Captain Wright fired the trains of powder leading in all 
directions. The resultant blaze was appalling, and the roaring 
of the flames spread terror for miles around. It was a sacrifice 
to Moloch on the most gigantic scale. Towed by the Yankee, 
under Captain Germain, the Cumberland and Paivnee went 
down the river, but the two brave officers in charge of the 
torch, Eogers and Wright, were unfortunately left behind, and 
were subsequently made prisoners by the Confederates. 

Breaking through the obstructions at Sewell's Point, the 
Cumberland, Pawnee and Yankee made their way to Hampton 
Roads. 

Despite the elaborate plans for the destruction of the yard, 
they failed to achieve their full purpose, and the Confederates 
obtained possession of the principal works, officers' quarters am( 
the dry dock. The partially disabled ordnance was speedily 
repaired, with the aid of the appliances at hand, and from this 
point heavy guns were sent to many Southern fortifications. 
Of the vessels, some were totally and others partially burned. 
The Columbus, Delaware and Plymouth were merely scuttled 
and sunk, the latter being afterwards raised and repaired. The 



VESSELS BURNED AND SUNK. 



89 



Merrimack, burned to her copper line and sunk, but, being re- 
constructed, became at a later period famous in history for the 
memorable conflict with the Monitor. Old Fort Norfolk, with 
an enormous store of powder, shells, etc., was next seized, and 
then the hulk of the old United States was sunk in the channel 
a mile below the fort. Heavy batteries on Craney Island and 
Sewell's Point completed the defenses, and troops from Georgki 




ITNIOK 6QTJAKE, SlEVf YOKK, ON THE 20tH OF APRIL, 1861. 



and lower Vii'ginia were rapidly rushed in to garrison this im- 
portant capture. 

Meanwhile the insurgent troops were being massed at other 
points, and by the 20th of May some eight thousand men, com- 
prising South Carolinians, Alabamians, Virginians and Ken- 
tuckians, had been posted at Harper's Ferry, on Maryland 
Heights, and in fortifications on both sides of the Shenandoah 
and Potomac rivers. 



90 ' HISTORY OP THE CIVIL WAR. 

But the North was not idle. On the 20th of April, while 
stirring events were happening elsewhere, and the safety of the 
Capital itself was imperiled, a monster meeting in Union 
Square, New York, had resulted in the formation of the Union 
Defense Committee, an organization of responsible citizens of 
all political shades. Major-General Wool, commander of the 
Eastern Department, after a conference with Governor Morgan 
at Albany, proceeded to New York. Here he held a conference 
with the Defense Committee and Governor Morgan on the 23d, 
and perfected arrangements for the relief of Washington, and 
also for the protection of th<-5 Government property at St. Louis, 
believed to be threatened by the Missouri Secessionists. Colonel 
Ellsworth's Zouaves, recruited mainly from the New York fire- 
men, were sent on to Washington, and their arrival in all prob- 
ability prevented a national disaster. All this was necessarily 
done on personal responsibility, and in excess of any existing 
authority — facts which led to a slight misunderstanding with 
the War Department ; but as tliis was afterwards rectified, we 
need not go into details. It will sufiice to say that the aid thus 
rendered by General Wool, with the co-operation of Commo- 
dores Breeze and Stringham and the titanic labors of the Union 
Defense Committee, was of incalculable value towards the ulti- 
mate preserv.ntion of the Union. 

We turn now to equally energetic movements in other direc- 
tions. The Seventh New York Regiment, which had started on 
the 19th of April, was joined by the Eighth Massachusetts and 
a company from Springfield, and, with General B. F. Butler, 
had aiTived in Philadelphia. The news of the Baltimore riot 
had just been received, and Butler, whose instructions had been 
to march through that city, found a lion in his path. A hurried 
consultation with General Patterson and Commodore Dupont, 
of the Philadelphia Navy Yard, resulted in a plan to take the 
troops by water from Perryville, at the mouth of the Susque- 
hanna, to Annapolis, and thence to Washington across Mary- 
land. General Patterson, as commander of the " Department 
of Washington," ordered Butler to seize Annapolis and Annapo- 
lis Junction and maintain a military highway to the Capital. 
At a council of war in the Girard House that evening. Colonel 



GEN. butler's movements. 



91 



Lefferts, of the Seventh New York, aemurred to the plan of 
Butler, and the latter made arrangements for pushing on with 
liis Massachusetts troops. At 11 A. m. on the 20th, Butler and 
his troops had reached the Susquehanna, where rumor had 
located a hostile force. The men were ordered from the cars 
in readiness for battle, but there was no en 'my in sight. The 
Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore huge ferryboat Mary- 
land, however, was in waiting at Perry ville, and by midnight 
the troops were off Annapolis. Here a surprise awaited them. 
The Secessionists were 
in possession of the 
town and the Naval 
Academy, waiting 
reinforcements from 
Baltimore to seize the 
old frigate Constitu- 
tion, then used as a 
school ship. The arri- 
val of Butler put an 
end to this little plot, 
and with the aid of the 
Maryland, after open- 
ing communication 
with Captain Blake, 
Superintendent of the 
Academy, the Co7i- 
stitution was towed 
from the wharf to a point out beyond the bar. In doing this 
the Maryland grounded, and the troops, who had all along 
suspected the captain, at once made him prisoner. Meanwhile 
Butler had gone ashore and held a conference with the Mayor 
of Annapolis and Governor Hicks. The latter protested against 
the landing of Northern troops, and the former assured him that 
the hungry troops could not purchase food there, Butler swept 
aside both these cobwebs in his characteristic way. He told the 
Governor he had no " Northern troops," but a part of tha militia 
of the United States obeying the call of the President. He re- 
minded the Mayor that hungry soldiers Avere seldom particular 




GEN. BENJAMIN P. BUTLER. 



92 



HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAB. 



about paying for necessary rations, and then, in general terms, 
announced his intention to land, under any and all c ircumstances, 
and push on to the CaiDital. The discomfited State and city 
authorities could only shrug their shoulders and protest. The 
Maryland, however, was still aground, but at dawn on the 22d 
the Boston hove in sight. On board was Colonel Lefferts, with 
the Seventh New York Regiment, he having become convinced 
that a passage through Baltimore was impracticable. After 
vain efforts on the part of tlie Bosto7i to float the Maryland, 
the Seventh New York were landed, and then the Boston took 
off the Massachusetts men from the stranded steamer The 




ANNAPOLIS JUNCTION IN 1861<, 

buildings»of the Academy were converted into quarters and the 
two well-nigh famished bodies of men divided the rations with 
which the Seventh were provided. 

Meanwhile the Secessionists had torn up the rails and scat- 
tered them and dismantled the locomotives. The troops were 
now stranded ashore. This check was of short duration, for 
luckily the Massachusetts troops were composed mainly of 
artisans, one of whom, Charles Homans, of the Beverly Light 
Guard, had been employed in the machine shops in which one 
of. the dismantled engines had been built. He promptly an- 
nounced his ability to reconstruct it. Butler detailed him for 
the work, and as there were others nearly as well skilled 
around, the locomotive was rapidly got into working order. 



DEPARTMENT OF ANNAPOLIS. 93 

The hidden rails were feiTeted out and replaced. On the even- 
ing of the 33d Butler took possession of the Annapolis and Elk 
Ridge Railroad. A protest from Governor Hicks, drew, as 
usual, a sneering response from the General, and the troops 
commenced their forward movement. Bridges were repaired 
and the tracks relaid as the little army moved steadily, but 
cautiously, onward throughout the day and night of the 24th. 
A sharp watch was kept for Southern skirmishers, but these 
wisely refrained from useless interference. Up to this time 
Colonel Lelferts with the Seventh ]S ew York had co-operated, 
but on the morning of the 25th, on reaching AnnapoUs Junc- 
tion, the New Yorkers pressed on for Wasliington, leaving 
Butler and his men to hold the position and keep open the line 
of communication. General Scott then procured the creation 
of the '• Department of Annapolis," and placed Butler in ab- 
solute command of a district extending to Bladensburg, and 
stretching twenty miles on either side of the railroad. This 
was precisely what he wanted, and having obtained the dictum 
from headquarters that his power was absolute, e«xcept where 
his views controverted specific orders or military law, he pre- 
pared to carry out his own plans for the humbling of Baltimore 
and avenging the murder of the men of the Sixth Massachu- 
setts. He knew of the plans of his Commander-in-Chief, but 
they were of too slow a character to suit Butler's dash and 
energy. By the end of April the National Capital was well 
guarded, and although Baltimore in the hands of the Secession- 
ists was constantly adding to its threatening force, Butler had, 
under various pretexts, obtained permission to concentrate 
troops and locate them at discretion, until he had ten thousand 
men at Annapolis, and had stationed a force at the Relay 
House, on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, ostensibly to cut 
rebel communication with Harper's Ferry. In reality this was 
part of his plan for a descent on Baltimore, which he found to 
be within his Military Department. 

The Maryland Legislature, which had been called to meet at 
Annapolis on the 27th, found it convenient to select Frederick 
as the place of meeting instead. There was not room enough 
at Annapolis for Butler and secession legislation, at one and the 



94 HISTORY OF THE CIVtt, WAB. 

same time, the more especially as Butler had promised steel 
bracelets to those Avho talked treason, in or out of legislative 
session. Instead of pressing a secession ordinance the dis- 
unionists fell back on strategy, assumed a virtue if they had it 
not, talked buncombe about the danger of revolution, and then 
appointed a State Board of Safety, the members of which, 
while intrusted with almost absolute power over the resources 
of the commonwealth, were not required to swear allegiance to 
the United States. General Butler keenly noted all this, and 
prepared for his grand coup. He knew there was a strong 
Union under-current in Maryland, and he relied on its develop- 
ment when he afforded the opportunity. On the 4th of May his 
preparations were complete. Under his orders the Eighth Ne\V 
York, Sixth Massachusetts, and Cook's Battery of Boston Light 
Artillery, left Washington by train early on the morning of the 
5th of May, and, reaching the Relay House, nine miles from 
Baltimore, after a two hours' ride, seized that point, and then 
rapidly occupied positions commanding the viaduct over the 
Patapsco Valley, which was the junction point of the Balti- 
more and Ohio and the roads to Baltimore and Harper's Ferry. 
During the following week Butler remained at the Relay House, 
quietly perfecting his scheme, and taking the utmost care that 
General Scott should hot issue orders which would impede him. 
In fact, the headquarters orders were drawn up by Colonel 
Schuyler Hamilton, of the staff of the General-in-Chief, a man 
who, probably, more than suspected Butler's designs, and cor- 
dially approved of his dash and enterprise. These orders gavd 
Butler permission, in general terms, to arrest Secessionists, 
irstructed him to prevent accessions to the rebel force at 
Harper's Ferry, to seek for concealed ammunition, alleged to be 
stored in Baltimore for insurgent purposes, and thus in all but 
specific terms instructed him to use force in the very direction 
he had planned to exercise it. 

These schemes were materially aided by the movements of 
General Patterson, who sent the First Pennsylvania Volunteer 
Artillery and Sherman's Battery, under Colonel Francis E. Pat- 
terson, his son, to force their way, if necessary, through Balti- 
more. On the 9th of May, this force of nine hundred and thirty 



BUTLER IN BALTIMORE. 



95 



men, with a portion of the Tliird Infantry, regulars, , landed at 
Locust Point, near Fort McHenry, from the steamers Fanny 
Cadwallader and Maryland, the debarkation being effected 
under cover of the guns of a gunboat and those of the Harriet 
Layie. The presence of Butler's troops at the Relay House, the 
shifting tide of public opinion, and other prudential views, pre- 
vented opposition, though the Mayor, Marshal Kane, and the 
Police Commissioners were on hand. Kane even had the im- 
pertinence to tender assistance to Major Sherman, but on 
making himself known received such a repulse that he desired 




FEDERAL HILL. 

no employment in the military aid department just then. The 
passage of these troops through Baltimore, amid every demon- 
stration of welcome from the loyal element, diverted attention 
at the Capital from Butler and his plans. Meantime Ross 
Winans, of Baltimore, had manufactured a steam gun, sup- 
posed to be something remarkable, for city defense, and had 
sold it to the Baltimore authorities. This man Butler was de- 
termined to capture, if possible, as an example. On the 13tli of 
May some fifty men were sent on to Frederick by train to arrest 
Winans, behind them was a train containing Butler and a force 



96 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

of one housand men, with two field pieces. The train headed 
for Harper's Ferry, but subsequently backed till the Camden 
street depot, Baltimore, was reached. A thunder-storm was in 
progress, and thus the arrival escaped general notice, though a 
spy had warned the Mayor of some such movement. The force, 
however, had disappeared in the darkness, and their where- 
abouts could not be ascertained until at daylight they were dis- 
covered encamped on Federal Hill and in command of the city. 
Butler promptly issued a proclamation announcing his occupa- 
tion of the city, and determination to cause the laws to be 
enforced and respected. He forbade the display of secession 
flags, and alluding to the force he had with him, mentioned it 
merely as a guard, though he announced his abihty to concen- 
trate thousands of troops if necessary. Ross Winans having 
been captured and confined in Fort McHemy, General Butler 
was about to try him before a military tribunal, when one of 
those almost fatal blunders, for which this period was remark- 
able, was perpetrated by General Scott. He recalled General 
Butler, or rather, prevailed upon the President to do so. under 
the impression that so absolute an exercise of discretionary 
powers was a dangerous precedent. It may be permissible to 
doubt whether the forestalling of the General-in-Chief's more 
leisurely campaign did not lend a coloring of personal pique to 
an act which in all human probabihty prevented the strangling 
of the RebelUon in the cradle of its infancy. 

The humiliation of Butler's recall was tempered by his being 
commissioned Major-General of Volunteers and placed in com- 
mand of a military district, including Eastern Virginia and the 
Carolinas, with headquarters at Fortress Monroe. 

The troops, however, were withdrawn from Baltimore, and 
the district assigned to General Cadwallader, of Philadelphia. 

Coincident with these events the Legislature of Maryland 
had adjourned, and Governor Hicks, on the 14th of May, issued 
a proclamation, in response to the President's call for troops, 
dated April 15th. In this the Governor called upon loyal citi- 
zens to volunteer to the extent of four regiments to serve for 
three months within the limits of Maryland, or for the defense 
of the Capital of the United States, but not beyond those limits, 



HABEAS CORPUS SUSPENSIONS. 97 

and to be, under such conditions, subject to the orders of the 
Cor.imander-in-Chief of the United States. 

This hist straw broke the back of the conspirators ; the Union 
sentiment, which had only been kept down by the threats of a 
dislojal chque aided by alien agitators, reasserted itself, and 
Maryland once more stood up boldly and proudly under the 
flag of the Union. At the same time, to put a iinishing touch 
upon the work of regeneration, Major Morris, commanding 
Fort McHenry, refused to obe}' a writ of habeas corpus issued 
by Judge Giles, of Baltimore, for the release of one of the Mary- 
land State Militia then confined in Fort McHenry. The Major 
in a lengthy letter recapitulated the disturbances and treason- 
able acts of the past few weeks, and asserted that the exigencies 
of the case set all questions of precedent aside. On the 27th of 
May General Cadwallader refused to obey a similar writ issued 
by Judge Taney, in the case of John Merry man, a Baltimore 
secessionist, also confined in Fort McHenry. Judge Taney 
issued an order of attachment for General Cadwallader, and 
the Marshal made return that he had been denied admission to 
Fort McHenry. Judge Taney in an elaborate statement denied 
the power of the President to suspend the privilege of the writ 
of habeas corpus, or to authorize any military oflicer to do so. 
In the face of an overpowering force, however, he would not 
call out a posse comitatus to enforce the decrees of the Court, 
and he therefore relieved the Marshal of further liability under 
the order. Judge Taney further stated that he should prepare 
an opinion, and call on the President to do his constitutional 
duty in maintaining the supremacy of the civil over the mili- 
tary authority. 

The condition of affairs at this time was not favorable for 
legal hair-splitting, and as a result the Chief -Executive had, in 
the coming eventful daj's, to frequently exceed constitutional 
authority and rely upon Congressional action to sustain him 
thereafter. 

We have, perhaps, been prolix in handling some of these de- 
tails, but have deemed the investigation of the mainsprings and 
minor movements of the great controversy of equal importance 
at this stage, as affording the key to many matters which will 



98 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

arise in the course of this history when the smoke of battle 
comes upon us. Already the bayonets are being fixed for the 
first actual clash of arms, and therefore with a brief resume of 
the events leading to the split in the State of Virginia we shall 
close this chapter. 

As before noted, the secession sentiment was almost power- 
less in Northwestern Virginia, and it was still further subdued 
by meetings held at various points prior to May 23d, the time 
at wliich a vote of the State was to be taken on the Secession 
ordinance. On the other hand, Senator James M. Mason, of 
Winchester, had written an open letter in which he declared 
that those who opposed the ordinance must prepare to leave 
the State. 

At the Wheeling Convention, which met on the 13th of May, 
the long-cherished project of a division of the State was the 
main topic of discussion. There was no bond of sympathy be- 
tween the counties of the mountain region and the slave-labor 
section to the eastward. The result of the deliberations was 
that resolutions denouncing secession were adopted, with a call 
for a Provisional Convention to meet at the same place on June 
11th, should the ordinance obtain a majority vote of the State 
at large. As was expected. Eastern Virginia, under the control 
of the Confederate leaders at Montgomery, swamped the vote 
of the free-labor section. 

The Provisional Convention met at Wheeling, June 11th, 
with Arthur J. Boreman, of Wood County, as permanent pres- 
ident. On the 13th, an ordinance vacating all offices of the State 
held by officers hostile to the Federal Government was reported, 
and on the 17th the Convention, by the unanimous vote of 
the fifty-six members, declared for independence of Governor 
Letcher, who had, the resolution alleged, abdicated his au- 
thority and protection, and assumed an attitude of hostility. 
On the 20th, the separation of Western from Eastern Virginia 
was agreed to by a unanimous vote, and on the same day a 
Provisional Government was organized, with Francis H. Pier- 
pont, of Marion County, as Governor ; Daniel Polsley, of 
Mason County, Lieutenant-Governor, and an Executive Council 
of five members. The work of organization was pushed for- 



WEST VIRGINIA ADMITTED TO THE UNION. 99 

ward, and a Legislature elected which met at Wheeling July 
1st, and chovse as Senators to the United States Senate, John S. 
Carlile and Waitman G. Willie. On the 20th of August the 
convention re-assembled and passed an ordinance for the for- 
mation of a new State. This was ratified by the people in 
October, and thus were set in train the proceedings which 
resulted in the admission, on the 3d of June, 1863, of the State 
of West Virginia, to the muster roll of the Union. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



THE FEDERAL FORCES CROSS THE POTOMAC— OCCUPATION OF ALEXANDRIA.-^ 
ASSASSINATION OF COLONEL ELLSWORTH — GENERAL GEORGE B. M'cLELLAN — 
THE BATTLE OF PHILIPPI — BUTLER AT FORTRESS MONROE— THE BLUNDER 
AT BIG BETHEL — BUTLER'S REPORT — CONFEDERATE ACCOUNTS. 

While measures were being energetically prosecuted for the 
defense of Washington the Confederates were far from idle in 
pushing forward their plan for its capture, and secured a com- 
manding position at Manassas Junction, on the Orange and 
Alexandria Railroad, some thirty miles from the capital. They 

then began works on Ar- 
lington Heights and had 
pushed their picket line 
to the Virginia shore of 
the Potomac, and cover- 
ing that end o:^ the Long 
Bridge, which connects 
with Washington City. 
It was evident that the 
time for action had ar- 
rived, and on the 23d of 
May an order was given 
for a general movement 
into Virginia. General 
Butler, with twelve thou- 
sand men, already held 
Fortress Monroe, at the 
mouth of th e James River, 
and had made a successful reconnoissance of Hampton with 
Colonel Phelps' Vermont regiment, defeating the plans of the 
rebels for the destruction of the bridge connecting the Fortress 
with the village across the bay. Just prior to this two Con- 
federate companies who had the temerity to enter Clarksburg, 
Harrison County, had been compelled to surrender to Captains 




COL. E. E. ELLSWORTH. 



INVASION OF VIRGINIA. 



101 



A. C. Moore and J. C. Vance, who had promptly mustered a 
couple of Union companies to attend to the unwelcome visitors. 
At 1:20 A. M. on the 24th of May one of the most important of 
the earl}^ Federal movements was begun. At that hour the New 
York Seventh Regiment left their camp at "Washington, each 
man having sixty rounds of ball cartridge. These reached Vir- 
ginia soil by 4 A. m., and camped near the Alexandria end of the 
bridge. Meanwhile other large bodies of troops were in motion ; 
in fact, almost simultanfously, 
by way of the Long Bridge and 
the Aqueduct Bridge at George- 
town, and by water on a couple 
of vessels, a combined force num- 
bering about thirteen thousand 
men were poured into the rebel- 
lious State. This force was made 
up of the New York Seventh, 
Sixty-ninth and Twenty-eighth 
regiments ; two companies each 
of the New York Second, Fifth, 
Twelfth, Twenty -fifth ; three 
companies of the New York 
Seventy-first and the New York 
Fire Zouaves ; the Fifth Massa- 
chusetts ; Rhode Island First, 
with the Rhode Island batteries ; 
the New Jersey Second, Third 
and Fourth; the Michigan Third ; 
three companies of an Ohio 
regiment, some United States 

cavalrj^, and a large contingent of District of Columbia troops. 
The Loudon and Hampsliire Raikoad was first seized, and then 
the New York Sixty-ninth took a position on the Orange and 
Manassas Gap railroad, running out of Alexandria. By this 
last movement the fugitives from that city, some seven himdred 
in all, including three hundred men, were captured and held 
as hostages. Shortly before 5 a. m. the commander of the 
United States steamship Pawnee, lying off Alexandria, sent a 




ELLSWORTH ZOUAVES. 



102 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

flag of truce, giving the rebels one hour to quit the town. The 
steamers Baltimore and Mount Vernon made fast to the wharf 
and landed the New York Fire Zouaves. The rebel sentinels 
fired on the landing party and retreated. The Zouaves at 
once proceeded to destroy the railroad track to Rich- 
mond, and meanwhile Colonel Ellsworth, with his aid. 
Lieutenant Winser, and a file of men, started for the tele- 
graph office to cut the wires. On their way they noticed 
a large secession flag on the Marshall House — this had been 
observed in Washington for several days. Colonel Ellsworth 
halted his men and entered the house. A man came nishing 
down stairs, and in reply to the Colonel's inquiry, " Who put 
up that flag," replied : " I don't know ; I am only a boarder." 
He was allowed to pass, but he subsequently proved to be J. W. 
Jackson, the proprietor. Colonel Ellsworth, Lieutenant Winser, 
Chaplain House and four privates made their way to the roof 
and cut down the flag. Coming down the stairs. Colonel Ells- 
wortli was rolling up the flag, when Jackson rushed out from 
some hiding-place and leveled a double-barreled gun at 
Private Brownell, who was leading the party. Brownell 
attempted to strike the weapon up with his musket, but Jack- 
son pulled both triggers and the contents of the two barrels 
were lodged in the body of the Colonel, entering between the 
third and fifth ribs. Ellsworth fell dead and Brownell at once 
discharged his musket at Jackson, who fell dead with a ball 
through his brain. The enraged soldier, to make sure of the 
fellow, ran a bayonet through his body. The guard at the door, 
becoming alarmed at the firing and protracted absence of the 
party, disobeyed orders and entered the house. They brought 
the body of their dead Colonel out on a litter of muskets and 
carried it to the steamer for conveyance to Washington. The 
rage of the Zouaves was such that they threatened to burn the 
town, and it was found necessary to put them on board 
a steamer anchored in the river to prevent their avenging their 
colonel's murder. 

Meanwhile the First ]\Iichigan had entered Alexandria by the 
road from the Long Bridge and captured the railroad depot, 
together with one hundred rebel cavalry, with horses and equip- 



REBEL JOURNALISM. 103 

ments. Various other points, including Arlington Heights, 
were taken possession of by other detachments, and thus all 
the positions commanding the capital were in the hands of the 
Federal troops. The completion of earthworks and batteries 
was pushed forward, and in a few days an almost impregnable 
barrier was placed between Washington and Manassas Junction, 
the grand Confederate rendezvous. 

On the 27th of May, General McDowell, U. S. A., was placed 
in command of all the national forces in Virginia. 

Many minor movements were carried on about this period, 
including the passage of the Potomac flotilla to Washington, 
and its severe encounters with rebel batteries on the banks, 
one engagement off Acquia Creek lasting over five hours. There 
was also a sharp reconnoissance at Fairfax Court House, 
carried out by Lieutenant Charles H. Tompkins, of the Second 
United States Cavalry. 

It was clear that war was now the deliberate choice, if not the 
stern necessity, on either side, and the Southern press was not 
slow to begin the work of fomenting the troubles. The Rich- 
mond Enquirer, of May 25, in a violent article starting out with 
the v;ords, "The Rubicon has been passed," went on to de- 
nounce the occupation of Alexandria as a flagrant outrage on 
Virginia soil, and added: "Virginians, arise in your strength 
and welcome the invader with ' bloody hands to hospitable 
graves.' The sacred soil of Virginia, in which repose the ashes 
of so many of the illustrious patriots who gave independence to 
their countiy, has been desecrated by the hostile tread of an 
armed enemy, who proclaims his malignant hatred of Virginia 
because she wiU not bow her proud neck to the humiliating 
yoke of Yankee rule. Meet the invader at the threshold. Wel- 
come him with bayonet and bullet. Swear eternal hatred of 
a treacherous foe, whose only hope of safety is in your defeat 
and subjection." The Richmond Examiner called the murderous 
act of Jackson a " trait of true heroism," and with vtdllful false- 
hood represented him as ' ' standing alone against thousands '' 
when he shot that ' ' chief of all scoundrels, called Colonel 
Ellsworth." Such pleasant terms as "jail-birds," "execrable 
cut-throats," and "Federal hirelings" were thrown in at ran- 



104 



HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 



dom till the editorial columns of the Richmond papers resembled 
no other species of journalism than that which might emanate 
from a lunatic asylum. 

On the 14th of May a conspicuous figure was added to the 
commanders of the Union forces. General George B. McClellan, 
a riiiladelphian and a AVest Point gi*aduate, was commissioned 
Major-General of Volunteers, and assigned to the command of 
the Department of Ohio, comprising that State, Western Vir- 
ginia, Indiana and Illinois. He promptly issued addresses com- 
plimenting the loyal 
citizens of Western 
Virginia and at the 
same time warning 
his troops against 
excesses. His first 
movements ui Vir- 
ginia were directed 
against H a r p e r ' s 
Ferry, but first it 
was necessary to dis- 
pose of Colonel Por- 
terfield, who, with 
a force of Confede- 
rates, was stationed 
at Grafton under 
orders from General 
Lee to muster volun- 
teers at that point. 
Colonel B. F. Kelley, of the First Virginia, a regiment organized 
at Camp Carlile, in Ohio, crossed to "Wheeling and moved on Por- 
terfield, who retreated to Philippi, a little town on a branch of the 
Monongahela, about twenty miles from Grafton. The Oliio and 
Indiana troops were also pushing in the same direction. On the 
2d of June General Morris and Colonel Kelley held a conference 
at Grafton, where a plan for the capture of Porterfield and his 
troops at Philippi was decided on. This provided for the 
simultaneous movement of two columns, one under Colonel E. 
Dumont, and the other under Colonel Kelley, by ditfer«^nt 




I 



U 



i^' 



GEN. GEO. B. m'CLELLAN. 



ENGAGEMENT AT PHILIPPI. 105 

routes, with Philippi as the objective point. Colonel Kelley's 
division, consisting of the First Virginin. a portion of the Ohio 
Sixteenth, and the Indiana Ninth, commanded respectively by 
Colonels Irwin and Milroy, moved east by railroad toTliornton, 
and thence marched twenty-two miles to Philippi. Dumont's 
column consisted of eight comjxames of the Seventh Indi- 
ana Volunteers, which moved westward on the North- 
western Virginia Railroad to Webster, and at this 
point he was reinforced by four companies of Ohio Volunteers 
under Colonel Steedman, with artillery under the immediate 
command of Lieutenant-Colonel Sturgis and four companies 
Sixth Indiana Volunteers under Colonel Crittenden. Colonel 
F. W. Lander, of McClellan's staff, was also with Duniont's col- 
umn and led tlie advance from Webster. A terrible marcli of 
twelve miles, in a furious storm, on a dark night, brought this 
column at 5 a. m. on the 2od of June near the bridge leading 
into Philippi. The enemy were now in sight, and Duniont's 
men made a rush for the bridge over the Valley River, a narrow, 
double-passage structure about four hundred feet in length. 
One of the passages was found to be barricaded, but through the 
other dashed the Seventh Indiana, followed in rapid succession by 
the detachment of the Fourteenth Oliio, commanded by Colonel 
Steedman, and close on their heels followed Colonel Crittenden 
with the Sixth Indiana. The enem}^ however, were in full 
jflight, and Dumont's column pursued them with a ruunmg fire 
for several miles. A number of wagons with munitions of war, 
clothing, baggage and provisions weie captured, being left 
behind in the precipitate flight, the horses having been cut 
loose and mounted by some of the fugitives. At this juncture 
Colonel Kelley's division appeared on the heights to the left, and 
giving a friendly cheer made a rapid descent on the retreating 
enemy. The pursuit was kept up toward Beverly, a point some 
thirty miles distant, for which Porterfield's disorganized men 
were heading. In a running engagement, during which many 
of the rebels were killed and wounded. Colonel Kelley re- 
ceived a severe pistol-shot wound in the breast and for a 
time he was believed to be mortally wounded. Tlie 
shot was fired by Assistant-Quartermaster Simms, of the Con- 



106 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

federate forces, after the actup.l engagement had ceased. 
Simms was captured, and with difficulty saved from immediate 
mutilation by the exasperated Virginians of Kelley's com- 
mand. Among the prisoners taken was Colonel W. J. 
Willey, upon whose person were found papers of importance, 
besides his commission in the Confederate army, from Adjutant- 
General Garnett. Dumont proposed to hold Philippi and push 
on to Beverly, but the difficulty of moving among the moun- 
tains with inefficient transportation trains compelled a return 
to Grafton, which for some time thereafter became the head- 
quarters in Western Virginia. The secession flag at Philippi 
was captured by Captain Ferry of the Seventh Indiana, and 
the colors presented by the ladies of Aurora to that regiment 
were the Stars and Stripes that first floated over the captured 
town. Among the papers found upon Colonel Willey was a 
letter from Colonel Porterfield, in which, under instnictions 
from Governor Letcher, he was ordered to destroy the bridges 
on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad as far west as possible. 
Other papers seriously compromised Major A. Loring, and he 
was promptly arrested by United States officers at WheeHng. 
Governor Letcher's instructions also included the seizure of 
arms sent to Wheeling by Secretary Cameron. 

On the 6th of June Governor Pickens, of South Carolina, 
issued a characteristic proclamation, in which he said: " I have 
understood that many good people have been remitting funds 
to creditors in Northern States. In the existing relations of 
the country such conduct is in conflict with public law, and all 
citizens arc hereby warned against the consequences." Side by 
side with the howls of execration on the part of tlie Southern 
press, because of the invasion of the sacred soil of Virginia, 
such a document stands out as a piece of unequaled effrontery. 

Next in order comes the disastrous affair of Big Bethel, on 
the 10th of June, but some x^reliminary movements must be 
mentioned. General Butler, who had taken command at 
Fortress Monroe on the 22d of May, at once began to lay plans 
for the capture of Richmond, Va., which the Confederates had 
selected as their seat of government. After a reconnoissance 
of Hampton by Colonel Phelps the Fortress Monroe end of 



BATTLE OF BIG BETHEL. 107 

Hampton Bridge was covered by a two-gun redoubt, and Camp 
Hamilton was formed and occupied by the Second New York 
and a Vermont regiment. A few days later Camp Butler was 
formed at Newport News by Colonel Phelps and Lieutenant 
John S. Greble. A strong position, however, was held by the 
Confederates at Pig Point, and the Harriet Lane, United States 
steamer, was sent to test its metal. After a short engagement 
the Harriet Lane Avithdrew, having been unable to shell the 
battery and having sustained some damage, five of her crew 
being wounded. 

While Greble was fortifying Newport News, Colonel Duryee, 
with a Zouave regiment, the Fifth New York Volunteers, had 
arrived and been placed in command of Camp Hamilton. 

Meanwhile General J. B. Magruder, who had been a Lieu- 
tenant Colonel of Artillery in the United States Army and loud 
in his professions of loyalty up to the moment when he deserted 
and joined the Confederate army, had taken up a position at 
Yorktown, and had also established posts at Little Bethel, a small 
church eight miles from Newport News, and another at Big 
Bethel, a larger church near the north branch of Back River. 
From these points foraging parties were sent out to annoy the 
picket guards at Hampton and Newport News, capture slaves 
of Union men, and even carry off citizens whom they forced 
to work in the intrenchments of WilKamsburg and Yorktown. 
Butler became convinced that Magruder's plan was to seize 
Newport News and Hampton, and thus hem him in at Fortress 
Monroe. A prompt aggressive policy was decided on. The 
plan was to advance on the two Bethels, in two converging 
columns. The details were carefully mapped out, and but for 
gross blundering negligence that which proved a galling 
defeat would have been a decisive victory. General Butler's 
design can best be shown by his official report to Lieutenant- 
General Scott dated June 10th, 1861. After describing the 
annoyances already referred to he says: 

" I ordered General Peirce, who is in command of Camp Hamilton, at Hamp- 
ton, to send Duryee 's regiment of Zouaves to be ferried over Hampton 
Creek at one o'clock this morning, and to march by the road up to Newmar- 
ket Bridge, then crossing the bridge, to go by a by-road and thus put the 
regiment in the rear of the enemy, and between Big Bethel and Little Bethel, 



108 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 



in part for the piirpose of cutting him off, and then to make an attack upon 
Little Bethel. I directed General Peirce to support him from Hampton with 
Colonel Townsend's regiment, mth two mounted howitzers, and to march 
about an hour later. At the same time I directed Colonel Phelps, command- 
ing at Newport News, to send out a battalion composed of such companies 
of the regiment under his command as he thought best, under command of 
Lieutenant-Colonel Washbrn-n, in time to make a demonstration upon Little 
Bethel in front, and to have him supported by Colonel Bendix's regiment, 
with two field pieces. Bendix's and Townsend's should effect a jimctioa at 
a fork of the road leading from Hampton to Newport News, something 
like a mile and a half from Little Bethel. I directed the march to 
be so timed that the attack should be made just at daybreak, and 
that after the attack was made upon Little Bethel, Duryee's regiment 
and a regiment from Newport News should follow immediately upon 
the heels of the fugitives, if they were enabled to cut them off, and 
attack the battery on the road to Big Bethel while covered by the fugitives; 
or, if it was thought expedient by General Peirce, failing to surprise the 
camp at Little Bethel, they should attempt to take the work near Big 
Bethel. To prevent the possibility of mistake in the darkness, I directed 
that no attack should be made until the watchword should be shouted by the 
attacking regiment, and, in case that by any mistake in the march the regi- 
ments that were to make the jimction should unexpectedly meet and be 
amknown to each other, also directed that the members of Colonel Town- 
send's regiment should be known, if in daylight, by something white worn 
on the arm. The troops were accordingly put in action as ordered, and the 
march was so timed that Colonel Duryee had got in the position noted upon 
a sketch herewith inclosed, and Lieutenant-Colonel Washburn, in command 
of the regiment from Newport News, had also got into position indicated, 
and Colonel Bendix's regiment had been posted and ordered to hold the 
fork of the road, with two pieces of artillery, and Colonel Townsend's regi- 
ment had reached a point just behind, and were about to form a junction as 
the day dawned. Up to this point the plan had been vigorously, accurately, 
and successfully carried out; but here, by some strange fatality, and as yet 
imexplained blunder, without any word of notice, while Colonel Townsend 
was in column en route, and when the head of the column was within one 
hundred yards. Colonel Bendix's regiment opened fire with both artillery and 
musketry upon Colonel Townsend's column, which, in the hurry and 
confusion, was irregularly returned by some of Colonel Townsend's men, 
who feared they had fallen into an ambuscade. Colonel Townsend's column 
immediately retreated to the eminence nearby, and were not pursued by 
Colonel Bendix's men. By this almost criminal blunder two men of Colonel 
Tov\-nsend's regiment were killed and eight more or less wounded. Hearing 
this cannonading and firing in his rear, and Lieutenant-Colonel Washburn, 
not knowing but that his commimication might be cut off, immediately 
reversed his march, as did Colonel Duryee, and marched back to 
form a junction with his reserves. General Peirce, who was with Colonel 
Townsend's regiment, fearing that the enemy had got notice of oiu* approach, 



GENERAL SUTLER'S REPORT. 109 



and had posted himself in force on the line of march, not getting any com- 
munication from Colonel Duryee, sent hack to me for reinforcements, and I 
immediately ordered Colonel Allen's regiment to be put in motion, and they 
reached Hampton about seven o'clock. In the meantime, the true state of 
facts having been ascertained by General Peirce, the regiments effected a 
junction and resumed the line of march. At the moment of the firing of 
Colonel Bendix, Colonel Duryee had surprised a part of an outlying 
guard of the enemy, consisting of thirty persons, who have been brought to 
me. Of course, by this firing, all hope of a surprise above the camp at 
Little Bethel was lost, and, upon marching upon it, it was found to have 
been vacated, and the cavalry had pressed on towards Big Bethel. Colonel 
Dm-yee, however, destroyed the camp at Little Bethel and advanced. 
General Peirce then, with the advice of his colonels, thought best to 
attempt to carry the works of the enemy at Big Bethel, and made 
dispositions to that effect. The attack commenced about half-past 
nine o'clock. A.t about ten o'clock General Peirce sent a note to 
me saying there was a sharp engagement with the enemy, and that 
he thought he should be able to maintain his position until reinforce- 
ments could come up. Acting upon this information. Colonel Carr"s 
regiment, which had been ordered in the morning to proceed as far 
as Newmarket Bridge, was allowed to go forward. I received this informa- 
tion about twelve o'clock. I immediately made disposition from Newport 
News to have Colonel Phelps form the four regiments there, and forward aid 
if necessary. As soon as this order could be sent forward I repaired to 
Hampton for the purpose of having proper ambulances and wagons for the 
sick and woimdcd, intending to go forward and join the command. WhUe 
the wagons were going forward a messenger came announcing that the 
engagement had terminated, and that the troops were rettiming in good 
order to camp. I remained upon the ground at Hampton, personally seeing 
the woimdcd put in boats and towed round to the hospital, and ordering for- 
ward Lieutenant Morris with two boat howitzers to cover the rear of the^ 
returning column in case it should be attacked. Having been informed that 
the ammunition of the artillery had been expended, and seeing the head of 
the column approach Hampton in good order, I waited for General Peirce to 
come up. I am informed by him that the dead and woimded had all been 
brought off, and that the retlu^l had been made in good order, and without 
haste. I learned from him that the men behaved with great steadiness, with 
the exception of some few instances, and that the attack was made with 
propriety, vigor and cturage ; but that the enemy were foimd to be sup- 
ported by a battery, variously estimated at from fifteen to tn-enty pieces, 
some of which were rifled cannon, which were very well served and pro- 
tected from being readily turned by a creek in front. 

" Our loss is very considerable, amounting perhaps to forty or fifty, a quar- 
ter part of which you will see was from the unfortunate mistake — to call it by 
no worse name— of Colonel Beudix. I will, as soon as official returns can be got, 
give a fuller detail of the affair, and will only add now that we have to re- 
gret especially the death of Lieutenant Greble, of the Second Artillery, who 



110 HISTORY OP THE CIVIL WAR. 

went out with Colonel Washburn fr.^m Newport News, and who very 
efficiently an.l gallantly fought his piece until he was struck by a cannon 
shot. I think, in the unfortunate combination of circumstances, and the re- 
sult which we experienced, we have gained more than we have lost. Oiu* 
troops have learned to have confidence in themselves under fire, and the 
enemy have shown that they will not meet us in the open field, and our 
offlcei-s have learned wherein their organization and drill are inefficient." 

We have given this remarkable report at full length for 
several reasons. First, because it is due to General Butler to 
show his military talent in planning a movement, and next to 
give a first general outline of an engagement which has been 
considerably tangled by various narrators. It is also interest- 
ing as sho\Wng that then, as now. General Butler was the cham- 
pion formulator of " views" adapted to the exigencies of any 
subject or the condition of it. 

The full official returns give the Union losses in this disas- 
trous affair, the first actual reverse of the Federal troops, at 
sixteen killed, thirty-four wounded and five missing. The 
Confederate loss, according to the correspondent of the Rich- 
mond Dispatch, was one killed and three wounded. They 
claimed to have taken six prisoners. 

Before closing we will cull one or two episodes from other 
sources believed to be authentic. It is but simple justice to 
Colonel Bendix to show how the terrible blunder came about. 
Acting Assistant Quartermaster Captain Peter Haggerty, of 
General Butler's staff at Fortress Monroe, Avas the officer who 
had boon instructed to give the watchword, and the order for 
wearing the white badges; he forgot both in the excitement of 
ordering the advance from ISewport News. The Confederates, 
whose dress was similar to that of Towmsend's men, wore white 
bands on their hats and of this Bendix was aware. In the gray 
dawn tlie white badges ordered by General Butler, of wliicli 
Bendix knew nothing, at once confounded them with Magru- 
der's troops, and the blunder was deepened by the fact that Peirce 
and Townsend. with then* respective staffs, mounted, in advance 
of the column, were mistaken for cavalry, of which service 
none had been ordered on the expedition, while Magruder w^as 
known to have a good force of this class with him at Big 
Bethel. 



CONFEDERATE ACCOUNT OF THE FIGHT. Ill 

Besides the gallant Groble, the Uiiiou forces suffered a severe 
loss iu the death of Major Theodore Wiiithrop, one of General 
Butler's aids. He was leading a company of the New York 
Seventh and attempted to take the redoubt on the left. He 
mounted one of the logs and, waving his sword, shouted, '• Come 
on, boys : one charge, and the day is ours." A North Carolina 
drummer boy borrowed a gun, leaped on the battery and shot 
him deliberately in the breast. He fell nearer to the enemy's 
works than any other man went during the tight. On the ITth 
of June Lieutenant George H. Butler was sent with an escort 
to Big Bethel to recover the body of Major AVinthrop. At 
Little Bethel a picket took tlieir message toMagruder, who sent 
Captain Kilsen, of Louisiana, to receive them. Two hours 
later Magruder himself came with Colonel De Rusey. brother of 
the Chief of the Engineers at Fortress Monroe ; Colonel Hill, of 
North Carolina, and other late officers of the United States 
Army. Magruder received the party handsomely and presently 
his men, three hundred in number, appeared with the wagon 
bearing the remains, over which they fired a volley. Magruder 
spoke in the highest terms of Major Winthrop's bravery and 
offered an escort to Hampton, but this was declined. On the 
other hand, none of Butler's men were allowed to go near the 
bitteries. At the time Winthrop fell he was wearing the sword 
of Colonel Wardrop, of the Third Massachusetts, and this was 
sent to North Carolina as a trophy. 

Under reserve, but by way of giving the reverse of the 
medal, we quote from the correspondent of the Richmond 
Dispatch, who participated in the Big Bethel battle, under date 
of June 11th, from Yorktown. After describing the earher 
movements, he says : 

" Tho men did not seem able to stand fire at all. About one o'clock the guns 
were silenced, and a few moments after their infantry retreated precipi- 
tately down the road to Hampton . Our cavalry, numbering three companies, 
went in pursuit and harassed them down to the edge of Hampton. As they 
retreated many of the wounded fell along the road and died, and the whole 
road to Hampton was strewn with haversacks, overcoats, canteens and nuis- 
kets which the men had throAvu off in their retreat. After the battle I visited 
the position they held. The houses by Avliich they had been bid had been 
burned by our troops. Around the yard were the dead bodies of the men 



112 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

■who had been killed by our cannr>n, mangled in the most frightful manner 
by the shells. The uniforms on the bodies were very different, and many of 
them are like those of the Virginia soldiery. A little further on we came to 
the point to which they had carried some of the wounded who had. 
since died. The gay-looking uniforms of the New York Zouaves 
contrasted greatly with the pallid, fixed faces of their dead owners. 
Groing to the swamp through which they attempted to pass 
to assault onr lines another bloody scene wa,s presented. Bodies dotted 
the black morass from one end to the other. 1 saw one boyish, delicate- 
looking fellow lying in the mud, with a bullet- hole through his breast. His 
hand was pressed on the wound from which his life-blood had poured, and 
the other was clenched in the grass that grew near him. Lying on the 
ground was a Testament which had fallen from his pocket, daubed with 
blood. On opening the cover I found the printed inscription: '' Present- d 
to the Defenders of their Coimtry by the New York Bible Society."' A 
United States flag was also stamped on the title page. Among the haver- 
sacks picked up along the route were many letters from the Northern States, 
askiug if they liked the Southern farm?, and if the Southern barbarians had 
been whipped out yet. The force the enemy brought against us was 4,000, 
accoi'dicg to the statement of the six prisoners we took. Ours was 1,100. 
Their loss in killed and wounded must be nearly 200 : oiu- loss is one killed 
and three wounded. * * * As there was force enough at Old Point to 
send up to Bethel and surround us, we took up the line of march and came 
up to Yorktowu, where we now are." 

AUowiDg for exaggeration and bias, this memorandum from 
across the hnes is interesting as showing how differently the 
same thing may look when seen through another pair of spec- 
tacles. 

Just here, and before we turn from the tield of battle to the 
forum, we should mention that it was during the preliminary 
moven\ents, when Phelps made his reconnoissance of Hampton, 
that some of Colonel Mallory's negroes escaped and sought pro- 
tection in the Union lines from the Confederate scouts who had 
been capturing their fellow slaves and forcing them to work in 
the intrenchments. What to do ^vith these fugitives was a 
problem till Butler solved it by one of his "views'': ''These 
men are contraband of war; set them at work." Thus while 
the poor fellows were freed from Confederate labor they still 
found the curse of tha Ishmaeliie was upon them. The term 
" contraband," however, passed into war vernacular and had 
much to do with hastening forward that bold stroke of the pen 
which, wliile it emancipated the ''contraband," dealt a deadly 



EMANCIPATION FORESHADOWED. 113 

blow at the power of the South by stripping it of its Uving 
chattels. 

Here we must turn from scenes of bloodshed to note the pro- 
ceedings of the special session of Congress summoned for 
July 4th. 



CHAPTER IX. 

Lincoln's second call for troops — the condition of the navy— the 

SPECIAL session OF THE THIRTY-SEVENTH CONGRESS— ABSTRACT OF LIN- 
COLN'S MESSAGE— EXTRACTS FROM DAVIS' CONFEDERATE MESSAGE— PRO- 
CEEDINGS IN CONGRESS— EXPULSION OF MEMBERS ON TREASON CHARGES — 
OPPOSITION TACTICS OF THE MINORITY — THE GOVERNMENT SUSTAINED — 
VIGOROUS PREPARATIONS FOR WAR— ADJOURNMENT OF CONGRESS. 

On the 3d of May, 1861, President Lincoln issued another 
proclamation embodying a further call for troops, and also for 
men for the naval service. This second call was for forty-two 
thousand and thirty-four volunteers, to serve for a period of 
three years, unless sooner discharged, to be mustered into 
service as infantry and cavalry. He also directed the regular 
Army of the United States to be increased by the addition of 
eight regiments of infantr}^ one regiment of cavalry and one 
regiment of artillery, making altogether a maximum aggregate 
increase of twenty-two thousand seven hundred and fourteen 
ojfficers and enlisted men. He further directed the enlistment, 
for not less than one nor more than three years, of eighteen 
thousand seamen, in addition to the present force, for the 
naval service of tlie United States. 

It will be pertinent here to glance at the condition of the 
Navy, a branch of the pubUc service heretofore but incidentally 
mentioned. The treachery which had permeated the Buchanan 
Cabinet, took especial care to weaken this important depart- 
ment in various ways, either by gross neglect in the ship-yards 
or by the dispatch of serviceable ships to foreign stations. At 
the incoming of the Lincoln administration there were but 
forty-two vessels in commission out of the ninety of all classes 
which were supposed to constitute the United States Navy. 
Upon utterly absurd ijretexts the bulk of those in commission 
had been stationed in remote foreign waters, the Brooklyn, of 
twenty-five guns, and the storeship Relief, of two guns, being all 
that the Government could command for immediate use when 



CONDITION OF THE NAVY. 115 

the Secession movement was initiated. Of these, the Relief was 
under orders with stores for the coast of Africa, and the 
Brooklyn, from her great draught, was useless for the waters 
of Charleston Harbor, the first objective point of the Con- 
federate movement. The cunning of the conspirators and the 
imbecility of Buchanan are painted in vivid colors by this brief 
resume. Two thousand, four hundred and fifteen guns was the 
standard armament of the United States, but eight hundred and 
seventy-four guns were out of service, because twenty-eight 
dismantled hulks were rotting in port, and in such condition 
generally that months of vigorous work would be needed to 
put them afloat. Sailor life being in accord with the easy- 
going Southern propensities, the Navy, such as it was, had 
drawn its officers largely from the now seceding States, and the 
defections were large and rapid. It was a pitiful spectacle upon 
whicli Gideon Welles gazed, and of which he had to report to his 
disgusted Chief, when he assumed the Secretaryship of the Navy 
under Lincoln. There was no weeping over spilt milk, how- 
ever, and by the time Congress met in extraordinary session, 
July 4th, 1861, there were two squadrons, the Atlantic, under 
Flag Officef Silas H. Stringham, and the Gulf Squadron, under 
Flag Officer William Mervine, comprising in all forty-three 
armed vessels engaged in blockade duty and coast defense, with 
a force of thirty-three hundred men and two hundred and ninety- 
six guns. Even more promptly, perhaps, than in the Army 
requisitions, that is relatively, recruits flocked to the standard 
of the Navy, and though nearly three hundred officers had 
resigned, or been dismissed, a very satisfactory make-shift 
service had been organized. The removal of tlie Naval School 
from Annapolis to Newport, Rhode Island, had insured the 
safety of public property and the regular continuance of marine 
training. Much of this had been done outside of strict con- 
stitutional authority, as indeed many other things were of 
necessity done in this exceptional period, but the rebel element 
had been largely eliminated from Congress by its own action, 
and the little leaven left was insufficient to create any serious 
difficulty. That greater liberties were not taken with the 
alleged prerogatives of the people may be fairly credited to the 



116 HISTORY OF THE CITTL WAR. 

scrupulous fidelity of the patriotic President, whose calm, cool 
judgment tempered the indignant zeal of his Cabinet. 

The Congress which met in extraordinary session on Thurs- 
day, July 4th, was the Thirty-seventh in point of nomencla- 
ture, and its assembling marked the eighty-fourth anniversary 
of the Declaration of Independence. Upon this momentous 
gathering were fixed the eyes not alone of the entire people of 
this country, but of the whole ci\'ilized world. 

Twenty-three States were represented in the Senate by forty 
Senators, and twenty -two States and one Territory by one hun- 
dred and fifty -four Representatives in the lower house, on the 
first day of the session. The Union sentiment prevailed by a 
largo majority. The States of North and South Carolina. Geor- 
gia, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Ai-kausas, Texas, Mississippi 
and Virginia were conspicuously absent from choice, and Ten- 
nessee was also imrepreseuted in the House in conse<iuence of 
its Congressional elections not having been held. In this State, 
although a secession ordinance had been passed, the sentiment 
in favor of disunion was not univei-sal. and consequently when 
in August the elections wei-e held three of the eastern districts 
chose representatives to Congress. One of these was captiu-ed 
by the Confederates while on his way to the Capitol, and car- 
ried to Eiclimoud. There he professed allegiance to the South- 
ern Confederacy. This was Thomas A. R. Nelson. In the 
Senate Andrew Johnson appeared as the Senator from Ten- 
nessee. "We may take oc^caslon, presently, to quote from his 
powerful speech in defense of the Union, delivered in the 
Senate on the 27th of July. 

The organization of the two houses at the oj^ening of this the 
Thirty -seventh Congress was as follows : Hannibal Hamlin, 
A^ice-President of the United States. Pi*esident of the Senate by 
virtue of his office, and Calusha A. Grow, of Pennsylvania, 
Speaker of the House of Representatives, by election of that 
body. On the second day of the session President Lincoln sent 
in his message. From this important document it would seem 
expedient to quote. 

After logically, clearly, and historically nan-ating the events 
of the few preA'ious months, events which we have endeavored 



PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S MESSAGE. 117 

to place before our readers, and, therefore, need not recapitulate 
here, the President said : 

" It is believed that nothing has been done beyond the Constitutional com- 
petency of Congress. Soon after the first call for militia, it was considered 
a duty to authorize the comn;anding general, in proper cases, according to 
his discretion, to suspend the privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus; or, in 
other words, to arrest and detain, without resort to the ordinary pro- 
cesses and forms of law, such individuals as he might deem dangerous to the 
public safety. The authority has been exercised but very sparingly. Never- 
theless, the legality and propriety of what has been done under it are ques- 
tioned, and the attention of the country has been called to the proposition 
that one who is sworn to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, 
should not himself violate them. Of course some consideration was given 
to the questions of power and propriety before this matter was acted upon. 
The whole laws which were required to be executed were being resisted, and 
failing of execution in nearly one-third of the States, must they be allowed 
to finally fail of execution, even had it been perfectly clear that by use of the 
means necessary to their execution, some single law, made in such extreme 
tenderness of the citizen's liberty, that practically it relieves more of the guilty 
than the innocent, should to a very great extent be violated ? To state the 
question more directly, are all the laws but one to go unexecuted, and the 
Government itself go to pieces lest that one be violated ? Even in such 
a case would not the official oath be broken if the GoveruLjent should be 
overthrown when it was believed that disregarding the single law would tend 
to preserve it ? 

But it was not beheved that this question was presented. It was not be- 
lieved that any law was violated. The provision of the Constitution, that the 
privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended unless when, 
in cases of rebellion or invasion, the public safety may require it, is equiva- 
lent to a provision that such privilege may be suspended when, in cases of 
rebellion or invasion , the pubhc safety does require it. It was decided that 
we have a case of rebellion, and that the pubUc safety does require the quali- 
fied suspension of the privilege of the writ, which v/ as authorized to be made. 
Now, it is insisted that Congress, and not the Executive, is vested with this 
power. But the Constitution is silent as to which or who is to exercise the 
power ; and as the provision was plainly made for a dangerous emergency, 
it cannot be believed that the framer? of the instrument intended that in 
every case the danger should run its course until Congress could be called 
together, the veiy assembling of which might be prevented, as was intended 
in this case by the rebellion. No more extended argument is now offered, 
as an opinion at some length will probably be presented by the Attorney- 
General. Whether there shall be any legislation on the subject, and, if so, 
what, is submitted entirely to the better judgment of Congress. The for- 
bearance of this Government had been so extraordinary, and so long con- 
tinued, as to lead some foreign nations to shape their action as if they sup- 
posed the early destruction of our National Union was probable. While 



118 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

this, on discovery, gave the Executive some concern, he is now happy to say 
that the sovereignty and rights of the United States are now everywhere 
practically respected by foreign powers, and a general sympathy with the 
country is manifested throughout the world." 

After alluding to the accompanying reports of the Secretaries 
of the Treasury, War and Navy, and promising any further in- 
formation needed, the Message proceeds : 

" It is now recommended that you give the legal means for making this 
contest a short and decisive one ; that you place at the control of the Gov- 
ernment for the work at least 400.000 men and $400,000,000 ; that number 
of men is about one-tenth of those of proper ages within the regions where 
apparently all are willing to engage, and the sum is less than a twenty-third 
part of the money value owned by the men who seem ready to devote the 
whole. A debt of $600,000,000 now is a less sum per head than was the 
debt of our Revolution when we came out of that struggle, and the money 
value in the coimtry bears even a greater proportion to what it was then 
than does the population. Surely each man has as strong a motive now 
to preserve our liberties as each had then to establish them. 

" A right result at this time will be worth more to the world than ten 
times the men and ten times the money. The evidence reaching us from 
the country leaves no doubt that the material for this work is abundant, 
and that it needs only the hand of legislation to give it legal sanction, and 
the hand of the Executive to give it practical shape and efficiency. One of 
the greatest perplexities of the Government is to avoid receiving troops 
faster than it can provide for them ; in a word, the people will save 
their Government if the Government will only do its part indifferently 
well. It might seem at first thought to be of little difference whether the 
present movement in the South be called Secession or Rebellion. The 
movers, however, well understand the difference. At the beginning they 
knew they could never raise their treason to any respectable magnitude by 
any name which implies violation of law ; they knew their people possessed 
as much of moral sense, as much of devotion to law and order, and as much 
pride in its reverence for the history and government of their common 
coimtry, as any other civilized and patriotic people. They knew they could 
make ro advancement directly in the teeth of these strong and noble senti- 
ments. Accordingly they commenced by an insidious debauching of the 
public mind ; they invented an ingenious sophism, which, if conceded, was 
followed by perfectly logical steps through all the incidents of the complete 
destruction of the Union. The sophism itself ic that any State of the Union 
may, and therefore lawfully and peacefully, withdraw from the Union with- 
out the consent of the Union or of any other State. 

"The little disguise that the supposed right is to be exercised only for just 
cause, themselves to be the sole judges of its justice, is too thin to merit any 
notice with rebellion. Thus sugar-coated they have been dragging the public 
mind of these sections for more than thirty years, and until at length they 



PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S MESSA.GE. ^^^ 

rosuchthiB'lhe day before. This sopUsm derives much, perhaps the 
X" iS cirrene;, from the assumption that there is some -"^o'e^ 
and sacred supremacy pertaining to a Sta e, to each state of °- J^^^ 
Union. Om- States have neither more nor less 1"^']?l^^*XJi^^ir> a 

~^^^a^5^c^^:trtrt=5^^ 

? ., 1 „„ Tl» PTTiiress clicht of faith hy each and aU of the original 
l^^.'^'^tLstothTirdclS of confederation two years later, that the 
SnS'u be p Setuaf s most conclusive. Having never been States 

S ttcr in :ubs' au'ceTr in n'amo. outside of the ^f - -'^-^ '^'e^y 

• 4- „^ ^f ctntf^ ri'-h'^^ a-^scrtinff a claim cf power to lawtuuy aesiruy 

omniDotence or btate ri^n.b, aobLitms <^ ^ ai-Tep,, but the 

the Union itself ? Much is raid about the sovereignty of the States, but tne 

^1 -^^^Mnlhe National Constitution, r.or, as is believed, in any cf the 
Tate r^s i tuions'^That is sovereignty in the political sense of the word ? 
WoSd^t bo far wrong to define it as a political community without a pohti- 

? ?r.inv7Testedby this, no one of our States, except Texas, was a 
calsuperioi ^^^^ested by tms, character on coming into the 

uXnTy';;! acTslr^^^^^^^^^ the Constitution of the United 

States- andThe laws and treaties of the United States, made m pursuance of 
ItaS' have their status in the Union, made in pui'suance of the Const tu 
Mon t^be f^r her the supreme law. The States have their status in the 
Sn and ticy have no other legal status. If they break from this they 
Union, andtacya revolution. The Union, and not them- 

:Z:X^rlT;:^^^^^^ thdr independence and their liberty by conquest 
selves ^P-'^-'''-'^ ' "i ,j o( them whatever of independence and 

Z^ZTL The Union is older than any of tho States, and, in fact, it 
'5d t,hem' as S'Sor Originally, some depcnder.t Colonies made the 
nmt and S'tuTnS Union flrcv off their old depcadence for them and 
Umon and in tu.n t. o u ^,^^_^ ever had a State Con- 

*!:^?ilnS'n.;roftte Union Of course it is not forgotten that aU 
^r^rSatTs tomed their constitutions before f.-.ey entered the Union, 
nevertheless dependent upon and preparatory to coming int» the Umon. 
rquesUonakyL States have the powers and rights reserved to them m 

and bv the National Constitution. v^„^„^- 

'But among these surely are not included all conceivable powers, however 



130 HISTOEY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

mischievous or destructive, but at most only such as were known in the 
world at the time as governmental powers, and certainly a power to destroy 
the Government itself had never been known as a governmental, as a merely 
administrative power. This relative matter of national power and State 
rights as a principle is no other than the principle of generality andlocahty. 
Whatever concerns the whole should be conferred to the whole General 
Government, while whatever concerns only the State should be left exclu- 
sively to the State. This is all there is of original principle about it. Whether 
the National Constitution, in defining boundaries between the two, has 
applied the principle with exact accuracy is not to be questioned. We are 
all bound by that defining without question. What is now combated is the 
position that secession is consistent with the Constitution, is lawful and 
peaceful. It is not contended that there is any express law for it, and noth- 
ing should ever be implied as law which leads to unjust or absurd conse- 
quences. The nation purchased with money the coimtries out of which 
several of these States were formed. Is it just that they shall go off with- 
out leave and without refunding ? The nation paid very large sums, in 
the aggregate I believe nearly a hundred millions, to relieve Florida of the 
aboriginal tribes. Is it iustthat she shall now be off. without consent or with- 
out any retutn ? The nation is now in debt for money applied to the bene- 
fit of those so-called seceding States, in common with the rest. Is it just 
either that creditors shall go unpaid or tbe remaining States pay the 
whole? A part of the present national debt was contracted to pay the old 
debt of Texas. Is it just that she shall leave and pay no part of this her- 
self ? Again, if one State may secede, so may another, and when all shall 
have seceded, none is left to pay the debts. Is this quite just to creditors ? 
Did we notify them of this sage view of ours when we borrowed their money? 
If we now recognize this doctrine by allowing the seceders to go in peace it 
is diflBcult to see what we can do if others choose to go, or to extort terms 
upon which they choose to remain. The seceders insist that our Constitu- 
tion admits of secession. They have assumed to make a National Constitu- 
tion of their own, in which, of necessity, they have either discarded or re- 
tained the right of secession, as they insist exists in ours. If they have 
discarded it they thereby admit that on principle it ought not to exist in 
ours ; if they have retained it by their own construction of ours that 
shows that to be consistent, they must secede from one another 
whenever they shall find it the easiest way of settling their 
debts, or effectir.g any other selfish or august object. The principle 
itself is one of disintegration, and upon which no government can possibly 
endm"e. If all the States, save one, should assert the power to drive that one 
out of the Union, it is presumed the whole class of seceder politicians would 
at once deny the power, and denounce the act as the greatest outrage upon 
State rights. But suppose that precisely the same act, instead of being 
called driving the one out, should be called the seceding of the others from 
that one, it would be exactly what the seceders claim to do, imless, indeed, 
they made the point that the oi.e, because it is a minority, may rightfully 
do what the others, because they are a majority, may not rightfully do, 



PRESIDENT Lincoln's message. 121 



These politicians are subtle and profound, in the rights of minorities. They 
are not partial to that power which made the Constitution and speaks from 
the preamble, calling itself ' We, the people.' It may well be questioned 
whether there is to-day a majority of the legally quahfied voters of any 
State, except, perhaps. South Carolina, in favor of disunion. There is much 
reason to beUeve that the Union men are the majority in many, if not in 
every one of the so-called seceded States. The contrary has not been 
demonstrated in any one of them. It is ventured to assert this, 
even of Virginia and Tennessee, for the result of an election held in military 
camps where bayonets are all ou one side of the question voted upon, can 
scarcely be considered as demonstrating popular sentiment. At such an 
election all that large class who are at once for the Union and against 
coercion would be coerced to vote against the Union. It may be affirmed, 
without extravagance, that the free institutions we enjoy have developed 
the powei'S and improved the condition of our whole people beyond any 
example in the world. Of this we now have a striking and impressive illus- 
tration. So large an army as the Government has now on foot was never 
before known, without a soldier in it but who has taken his place there of 
his own free choice. But, more than this, there are many single regiments 
whose members, one and another, possess full practical knowledge of all the 
arts, sciences, professions, and whatever else, whether useful or elegant, 
is known in the whole world, and there is scarcely one from which there 
could not be selected a President, a Cabinet, a Congress, and perhaps a 
Court, abimdantly competent to administer this Government itself. Nor 
do I say this is not true also in the army of our late friends, now adver- 
saries, in this contest. But it is so much better the reason why the 
Government, which has conferred such benefits on both them and us, 
should not be broken up. Whoever in any section proposes such a 
government would do well to consider in deference to what principle it is 
that he does it. What better is he likely to get in its stead, whether the sub- 
stitute will give, or be intended to give, so much of good to the people . There 
are some f oreshadowings on this subject . Our adversaries have adopted some 
declarations of independence in which, unlike the good old one penned by 
Jefferson, they omit the words 'All men are created equal.' Why? They 
have adopted a temporary National Constitution, in the preamble of which, 
unlike the good old one signed by Waslilngton, they omit 'We, the people' 
and substitute ' We, the deputies of the sovereign and independent States.' 
Why ? Why this deliberata pressing out of viev/ the rights of men and the 
authority of the people ? This is essentially a people's contest on the side of 
the Union, it is a struggle for maintaining in the world that form and sub- 
Stance of government whose leading object is to elevate the condition of 
men, to lift artificial weights from all shoulders, to clear the paths of laudable 
pursuits for all, to afford all an unfettered start and a fair chance in the race 
of Ufe, yielding to partial and temporary departures from necessity. This is 
the leading object of the government for whose existence we contend. 

" I am most happy to believe that the plain people understand and appre- 
ciate this. It is worthy of note that while in this, the Government's hour of 



122 mSTOHY OF THE CIVIL WAE. 

trial, large numbers of those in the army and navy who have been favored 
with the oflflces,have resigned and proved false to the hand which pampered 
them, not one common soldier or sailor is known to have deserted his flag. 
Great honor is due to those officers who remained true despite the example 
of their treacherous associates, but the greatest honor and the most important 
fact of all, is the unanimous firmness of the common soldiers and common 
sailors. To the lastman, so far as known, they have successfully resisted the 
traitorous efforts of those whose commands but an hour before they obeyed 
as absolute law. This is the patriotic instinct of plain people. They under- 
stand without an argument that the destroying the Government which 
was made by Washington means no good to them. Our popular govern- 
ment has often been called an experiment. Pwopoiats of it om* people have 
settled, the successful establishing, and the successful administering of it. 
One still remains, Its successful maintenance against a formidable internal 
attempt to overthrow it. It is for them to demonstrate to the world that 
those who can fairly carry on elections can also suppress a rebellion ; that 
ballots are the peaceful successors of bullets, and that when ballots have 
fairly and constitutionally decided, there can be no successful ap^jeal back 
to bullets : that there can be no successful appeal except to ballots them- 
selves at succeeding elections. Such will be a great lesson of peace, teach- 
ing men that what they cannot take by an election neither can they take by 
a war, teaching all the folly of being the beginners of a war. 

"Lest there be some uneasiness in the minds of candid men as to what i^ 
to be the coiu'se of the Government toward the Southern States after the 
rebellion shall have been suppressed, the Execut>e deems it proper to say 
it will be his purpose tjien, as ever, to be guided by the Consti, ^tion and the 
laws, and that he probably will have no different understanding of the 
powers and duties of the Federal Government relatively to the rights of the 
States and the people under the Constitution than that expressed in the 
inaugural address. He desires to preserve the Government that it may be 
administered for all, as it was administered by the men v.ho made it. Loyal 
citizens everywhere have the right to claim this of their Government, and 
the Government has no right to withhold or neglect it. It is not perceived 
that in giving it there is any coercion, any conquest, or auy subjugation, in 
any sense of these terms. 

" The Constitution provided, and all the States have accepted the provi- 
sion, ' that the United States shall guarantee to every State in the Union a 
republican form of government,' but if a State may lavrfuUy go out of the 
Union, having done so it may also discard the repubhcan form of govern- 
ment. So that to prevent its going out is an indispensable means to the end 
of maintaining the guarantee mentioned; and when an end is lawful and 
obligatory the indispensable means to it are also lawful and obligatory. It 
was with the deepest regret that the Executive found the du.y of employ- 
ing the war power in defense of the Government forced upon him; he could 
but perform this duty or surrender the existence of the Government. No 
compromise by public servants could in this case be a cure ; not that com- 
promises are not often proper, but that no popular Government can long 



PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S MESSAGE. 123 



survive a marked precedent that those who carry an election can only save 
the Government from immediate destruction by giving up the main point 
upon which the people gave the election. The people themselves, and not 
their servants, can safely reverse their own deliberate decisions. 

"Asa private citizen the Executive could not Lave consented that these insti- 
tutions shall perish, much less could he in betrayal of so vast and so sacred 
a trust as these free people liad confided to him. He felt that he had no 
moral right to shrink, nor even count the chances of his own life in what 
might follow, 

" In full view of his great responsibility he has so far done what he has 
deemed his duty. You will novv% according to your own judgment, perform 
yours. He sincerely hopes that yom* views and your actions may ro accord 
with his as to assure all faithful citizens who have been disturbed in their 
rights, of a certain and speedy restoration to them under the Constitution 
and laws, and having thus chosen our cause without guile, and with pure 
purpose let us renew our trust in God, and go forward without fear and 
with manly hearts." 

We do not deem an apology necessary for having taken up so 
much of our space in quoting thus fully from this remarkable 
and valuable document ; since the scope of our plan in this 
volume is not confined to a mere routine record of battles and 
hostile movements during the Civil War, but is purposed to 
convey a definite idea of the motives and impulses of the great 
contention, as specifically set forth by the chief actors in it. 

The logical, cogent arguments of President Lincoln ; the 
unerring accuracy with which every weak joint in the armor 
of his adversaries is assailed; the noble, patriotic resolves which 
are announced and the lucid exposition of the true condition of 
affairs in general, render this message an epitome of this phase 
of American history, which can be read with profit over again 
even by those to whom its language is as a twice-told tale ; 
while to the rising generation, already disposed to class the 
events of this period among legendary lore, it will prove invalu- 
able as a guide to their duty in shaping those destinies of this 
great Republic which must, in the course of nature, fall upon 
their shoulders. We would simply, just here, call attention to 
the guarded, but emphatic, implication of the monarchical ten- 
dencies of the Southern movement which the President 
conveyed in the sentences which show the subordination of 
"we, the people," to "the sovereign States," and in the 
theorem that, " if a State may lawfully go out of the Union it 



134 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

may also discard the republican form of government." It was 
doubtless the perception of this subtle contingency that secured 
for Secession that keen sympathy which the Tory party in 
England, monarchical and aristocratic, if not actually despotic 
in its tradition, so freely afforded. 

Before resuming the thread of Congressional proceedings it 
may be well, as a fitting pendant to the foregoing message, to 
quote from the message delivered to the Congress of the Con- 
federate States, at Richmond, on July 20th. 

Addressing the body as " Gentlemen of the Congress of the 
Confederate States of America," Jefferson Davis said : 

" Ihave again to congratulate you on the accession of new members to 
our Confederation of free and equally sovereign States. Our loved and 
honored brethren of North Carolina and Tennessee have consummated the 
action foreseen and provided for at your last session, and I have had the 
gratification of announcing, by proclamation, in conformity with law, that 
these States were admitted into the Confederacy, The people of Vir- 
ginia, also, by a majority previously unknown in our history, have ratified 
the action of her convention, uniting her fortunes with ours. The States of 
Arkansas, North Carolina and Virginia have likevv^ise adopted the permanent 
Constitution of the Confederate States, and no doubt is entertained of its 
adoption by Tennessee, at the election to be held early in next month. 

"I deemed it advisable to direct the removal of the several executive 
departments, with their archives, to this city, to which you have removed 
the seat of Government. Immediately after your adjoiu-nment the aggress- 
ive movements of the enemy required prompt, energetic action. The 
acciunulation of his forces on the Potomac sufficiently demonstrated that 
his efforts wei e to be directed against Virginia, and from no point could 
necessary measures for her defense and protection be so effectually decided 
as from her own capital. The rapid progress of events, for the last few 
weeks, has fully sufficed to lift the veil, behind which the true policy and 
piu-poses of the Government of the United States had been previously con- 
cealed. Their odious features now stand fully revealed. The message of 
their President and the action of their Congress dm-ing the present month 
confess their intention of the subjugation of these States by a war, by which 
it is impossible to attain the proposed result, while its dire calamities not to 
be avoided by us will fall with double severity on themselves. 

" Commencing in March last with the affectation of ignoring the secession 
of seven States, which first organized this Government ; persevering in April 
in the idle and absurd assumption of the existence of a riot, which was to be 
dispersed by a posse comif a /tts. continuing in successive months the false 
representation that these States intended an offensive war, in spite of con- 
clusive evidence to the contrary, furnished as well by official action as by 
the very basis on which this Government is constructed, the President of 



REPLY OF JEFF. DAVIS. 125 

the United States and his advisers succeeded in deceiving the people of 
these States into the belief that the purpose of this Government was not 
peace at home, but conquest abroad ; not defense of its own liberties, but 
subversion of those of the people of the United States. The series of 
manoeuvres by which this imprf ssion was created, the art with which 
they Averc devised, and the perfidy with which they were executed were 
already knovvu to you, but you could scarcely Lave supposed that they 
would bo openly avowed and their success made the subject of boast and 
self -laudation in an executive message." 

The message then quotes from that of President Lincoln as 
to the details of the Charleston Harbor affairs, and the pro- 
visions of Congress for increasing the United States forces to 
half a million of men. It then proceeds as follows : 

" These enormous preparations in men and money for the conduct of a 
war, on a scale more grand than any which the New World ever witnessed, 
is a distinct avowal, in the eyes of civilized man, that the United States are 
engaged in a conflict with a great and powerful nation. They are at last 
compelled to abandon the pretense of being engaged in dispersing rioters 
and suppressing insurrections, and are driven to the acknowledgment 
that the aucient Union has been dissolved They recognize the separate 
existence of these Confederate States, by an interdictive embargo and 
blockade of all commerce between them and the United States, not only by 
sea, but by land; not only in ships, but in cars ; not only with those who bear 
arms, but with the entire population of Ihe Confederate States ; for they are 
waging an indiscriminate war upon them all, with savage ferocity, unknown 
in modern civilization. 

" In this war rapine is the rule ; private houses in beautiful rural retreats 
are bombarded and burnt ; grain crops in the field are consumed by the 
torch ; and when the torch is not convenient, careful labor is bestowed to 
render complete the destruction of every article of use or ornament remain- 
ing in private dwellings after the inhabitants have fled from the outrages 
of brutal soldiery, * * * But who shall depict the horror they 
entertain for the cool and deliberate malignity which, under pretext of 
suppressing insurrection (said by themselves to be upheld by a minority 
only of our people), makes special war on the sick, including women and 
children, by carefully-devised measures to prevent them from obtaining the 
medicines necessary for their cure. The sacred claims of humanity, 
respected even during the fury of actual battle, by careful diversion of 
attack from hospitals containing wounded enemies, are outraged ia cold 
blood by a Government and people that prei end to desire a continuance of 
fraternal connections. All these outrages must remain unavenged, save 
by the universal reprehension of mankind. In all cases where the actual 
perpetrators of the wrongs escape capture they admit of no retaliation. 
The humanity of our people would shrink instinctively from the bare idea 
of waging a like war upon the sick, the women and the children of our 



126 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

enemy. But there are other savage practices which have been resorted to 
by the Government of the United States, which do admit of repression by 
retaliation, and I have boon driven to the necessity of enforcing the repres 
sion. The prisoners of war taken by the enemy on board the small schooner 
Savannah, sailing under our commission, were, as I am credibly advised, 
treated like common felons, put in irons, confined in a jail usually appro- 
priated to criminals of the worst dye, anJ threatened with punishment as 
such." The message then details alleged applications for the exchange 
of prisoner?! to which no reply had been received, and continues: "As 
measures of precaution, however, and until this reply is received I still retain 
custody of some officers captured from the enemy, whom it had been my 
pleasure previously to set at large on parole, and whose fate must necessarily 
depend on that of prisoners held by the enemy." 

The message then complains of the suspension of habeas 
corpus, and says : "We may well rejoice that we have for ever 
severed our connection with a government that thus 
trampled on all principles of constitutional liberty, and with a 
people in whose presence such avowals could be hazarded." After 
alluding to the necessity for raising additional forces and funds, 
the message compliments the seceded citizens on " their attitude 
of calm and sublime devotion to their country, the cool and con- 
fident courage with which they are already preparing to meet 
the invasion in whatever proportions it may assume." The 
message closes in the following words : 

"To speak of subjugating such a people, so united and determined, is to 
speak in a languacre incomprehensible to them; to resist attack on their rights 
or their liberties is with them an instinct. Whether this war shall last one, 
or three, or five years is a problem they leave to be solved by the 
enemy alone. It will last till the enemy shall have withdrawn from their 
borders; till their political rights, their altars and their homes are freed from 
invasion. Then, and then only, will they rest from this struggle, to enjoy, 
in peace, the blessings which, with the favor of Providence, they have secui'ed 
by the aid of their own strong hearts and sturdy arms." 

It will be noted that this document, while purporting to 
comment on President Lincoln's message, does not attempt to 
answer it on the grave charges advanced. The sneer, the 
whimper and the mutter of discontent and defiance are fre- 
quent, but the argument, the logic and even the plea of justifi- 
cation are conspicuously absent. Federal harshness is condemned 
as inhuman, but is coupled with a threat of at least equal 
inhumanity. How this threat was carried out the horrors of 



CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS. 127 

the Andersonville shambles subsequently demonstrated. No 
shadow of Right is advanced, save that which depends on 
Might, and yet the same course of action is imputed to the 
United States as a crime. It is almost amusing also to find a 
complaint of the interdiction of commerce emanating from the 
same sources that had but recently denounced the payment of 
northern commercial debts as a crime against the community. 

However, we must leave the two documents to stand on their 
respective merits and return to the proceedings in Congress. 

Accompanying the President's message were the Depart- 
mental Reports, which we will briefly summarize. 

Secretary of the Treasury Chase asked for $340,000,000 for 
war purposes and $80,000,0C0 for general purposes for the 
current fiscal year ending June 30, 1868. These amounts he 
proposed to raise as follows : for general purposes, by increased 
duties according to a stated schedule, and further by direct 
taxation of real and personal property or by certain internal 
revenue levies. For the war credit he proposed a national loan 
of $100,000,000 in Treasury notes bearing interest at the rate of 
7y% per cent, per annum, and further the issuance of bonds to 
the same amount, redeemable at Government pleasure after 
thirty years at 7 per cent, interest. Also Treasury notes, not 
exceeding $50,000,000, at 3^%^ per cent, interest, exchangeable 
for those of the first issue at will of the holder. 

Secretary Welles, of the Navy, asked Congressional sanction 
for acts in excess of authority compelled by the Rebellion exigen- 
cies ; an increase of staff and the appointment of commissioners 
to investigate the subject of iron-clads and floating batteries. 

Secretary Cameron, of the War Department, recommended 
an increase of clerical force ; a bounty of one hundred dollars 
for three-year enlistments in the regular Army ; for a liberal 
supply of improved arms and appropriations for telegraph and 
railroad purposes for Government use. 

Congress fi,ot rapidly to work and promptly prohibited parlia- 
mentary filibustering by a House resolution declaring only 
measures of military, naval and financial character pertinent to 
the current session. All other business was referred to commit- 
tees for action at the next regular session. This resolution cleared 



128 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAB. 

the decks for action. In the Senate Mr. Wilson, Chairman of the 
Committee on Military Affairs of that body, gave notice of the 
immediate introduction of the following six measures : To 
ratify and confirm certain acts of the President for the suppres- 
sion of insurrection and rebellion ; to authorize the employment 
of volunteers to aid in enforcing the laws and protecting public 
property ; to increase the present military establishment of the 
United States ; providing for the better organization of the mili- 
tary establishment ; to promote the efficiency of the army ; and, 
lastly, for the organization of a volunteer militia force, to be 
called the National Guard of the United States. 

When these measures came up for consideration, the Secession 
element yet remaining in Congress offered its opposition to the 
strengthening of the hands of the Executive, under the leader- 
ship of Clement L. Vallandigham, of Ohio, in the House, and 
John C. Breckinridge, of Kentucky, in the Senate. Despite 
Vallandigham's impassioned oratory and unscrupulous condem- 
nation of the Presidential policy and conduct, a loan bill 
authorizing the Secretary of the Treasury to borrow $250,- 
000,000 for the support of the Government and the prosecution 
of the war was passed, under the previous question. The 
following day an army appropriation bill for $161,000,000 was 
passed by 150 yeas to 5 nays, the latter being Benjamin Wood, 
of New York ; Norton and Reid, of Missouri ; Burnett, of 
Kentucky; and Vallandigham, of Ohio. The latter had vainly 
attempted to add a proviso prohibiting the use of the money 
for operations against the Seceded States, or for interfering 
with African slavery. On the 13th the measure authorizing 
the contingent of 500,000 men was passed, as was also a bill 
introduced by Mr. Hickman, of Pennsylv^ania, defining and 
punishing conspiracies against the United States. On the 15th 
a resolution was adopted, by which the House agreed to 
sanction unlimited appropriation of money, and unlimited 
employment of men, in such numbers as might become neces- 
sary for the suppression of rebellion. Wood and Vallandigham 
in every instance offered factious opposition, and endeavored to 
incorporate provisos looking to an armistice ; to diplomatic 
relations with Jefferson Davis and to a general convention at 



CONGRESSIONAL PKOCEEDINGS. 129 

Louisville for peace purposes. As a matter of course all these 
efforts, mustering at the most but seven supporters, were sum- 
marily disposed of by being tabled. On the 19th John Jay 
Crittenden, of Kentucky, offered the following joint resolution 
to the effect that: 

"The present deplorable civil war has been forced upon the country by the 
communists of the Southern States now in revolt against the Constitutional 
Government, and in arms around the Capitol, and that, in this National 
emergency, Congress, banishing all feeling of mere passion or resentment, 
will recollect only its duty to its country; that this war is not waged, on our 
part, in any spirit of oppression, nor for any purpose of conquest or subju- 
gation, nor purpose of overthrowing or interfering with the rights or estab- 
lished institutions of those States; but to defend and maintain the supremacy 
of the Constitution, and to preserve the Union, with all the dignity, equality 
and rights of the several States unimpaired; and as soon as these objects are 
accomplished the war ought to cease." 

This was laid over till Monday, the 22d. (Meanwhile the 
disastrous fii-st Battle at Bull's Run was fought, but of this we 
shall treat in a separate chapter.) On coming up for action 
Mr. Crittenden's resolution was passed by a vote of 117 to 2. 
The House also passed a resolution on the same day declaring 
unswerving determination to support the Constitution and 
execute its laws, and pledging to the country the employment 
of every resource, national and individual, for the suppression, 
overthrow and punishment of rebels in arms. On the ^d of 
August a Senate bill providing for the confiscation of property 
used for insurrectionary purposes, to which Mr. Trumbi;ill had 
added an amendment providing that the master of any slave 
who should employ him for insurrectionary purposes should 
forfeit all right to his service or labor thereafter, came up in the 
House for consideration. Bitter opposition to the Trumbull 
amendment specially was manifested, and then the Committee 
on the Judiciary, to whom the bill had been recommitted, 
modified the amendment so as to apply it only to slaves whose 
labor for insurrectionary purposes was employed in any mili- 
tary or naval service against the Government and authority of 
the United States. It was a distinction, certainly, nnd it made 
just difference enough to secure the passage of the bill by 60 to 
48. It is not quite easy to understand the animus of so large a 



130 HISTORV OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

minority vote, but men, even in those days of peril, appeared 
to pet their hobbies almost as much as in times of ease and 
prosperity. The attempts of the Secession faction to introduce 
compromise measures were unceasing until swept aside by the 
accepted sentiment of a proposed resolution by Mr. Diven, of 
New York, that bucli suggestions were either cowardly or 
treasonable. "With the authorization of the proposed loan of 
$250,000,000, and the passage of an act imposing additional 
duties on imports of foreign articles of luxury and necessity, 
with a further proviso for a direct tax of $20,000,000 on real 
estate, as per schedule, in each State not in rebellion, the work 
of the House of Representatives for the special session was 
accomplished. It should be noted that on the 13th of July 
John B Clark, of Missouri, was expelled the House as a traitor. 

Turning to the work of the Senate we note that within six 
days of the opening of the session James Chesnut, Jr., of South 
Carolina; Thomas L. Clingman and Thomr.s Bragg, of North 
Carolina; John Hemphill and Louis T. Wigfall, of Texas; James 
M. Mason and Robert T. M. Hunter, of Virginia; A. O. P. 
Nicholson, of Tennessee; William K. Sebastian and Charles B. 
Mitchell, of Arkansas, were all expelled by virtue of a resolu- 
tion which declared them to be engaged in a conspiracy for the 
destruction of the Union and the Government. On the 18th 
the bill providing for the reorganization of the army passed the 
Senate, after a Secession restriction process by Powell, of Ken- 
tucky, had been defeated, and a substitute by Sherman, of 
Ohio, had been adopted, declaring the purposes of the act to be 
the preservation of the Union, the defense of the property and 
the maintenance of the authority of the Government. On the 
24th of July a resolution, identical with Mr. Crittenden's in the 
House, was adopted, and on the 6th of August the amendments 
of the House to the bill confiscating insurectionary property 
being concurred in by a vote of 24 to 11, the bill received the 
President's sanction and became law\ 

All other business arising in the House having been, \vith 
slight changes, concurred in by the Senate, an adjournment of 
the special session was agreed to on the 6th of August, after the 
passage of a joint resolution requesting the President to appoint 



ADJOURNMENT OF CONGRESS. 131 

a day of public fasting, humiliation and prayer for the safety 
and welfare of the Union and the speedy restoration of peace. 
To this request the President responded by a proclamation on 
the 12th of August, appointing the last Thursday in September 
as such day of national reUgious observance. 

Thus ended one of the most important sessions of the Con- 
gress of the United States, after tliirty-three days of unremitting 
labor, performed with dignity, calmness and decorum, despite 
the fact that a serious reverse to the Union arms had been 
sustained meanwhile, and that outside those legislative halls 
excitement was at fever heat; that the streets of Washington 
were thronged with men, ragged and wounded in the rout of 
battle, and that the safety of the Capital itself was believed to 
be seriously imperilled. They had nobly done their duty and 
had conferred upon the Executive and his Cabinet almost 
limitless powers in furtherance of that deathless sentiment, 
" The Union must and shall be preserved." 



CHAPTER X. 

THE BATTLES OP PALLING WATERS, RICH MOUNTAIN AND CARRICK's FORD— 
THE SKIRMISH AT SCREYTOWN —THE FIRST BATTLE OP BULL RUN— OFFICIAL 
REPORTS— NARRATIVE OF AN EYE-WITNESS— TERRIBLE SCENES OF THE RE- 
TREAT—GENERAL m'CLELLAN BEGINS TO ORGANIZE THE ARMY OP THE 
POTOMAC. 

The results of the battle at Big Bethel on June 10th, while 
disheartening to the people at large and creating much chagrin 
among the authorities at Washington, merely served to inflame 
the enthusiasm and valor of the troops elsewhere who were 
clamoring to be led against the enemy. Butler remained for 
the present inactive at Fortress Monroe, but Major-General Pat- 
terson was moving upon Harper's Ferry, which General Joseph 
E. Johnston held with a considerable force. On the 6th of June 
the Eleventh Indiana Regiment, under Colonel Wallace, had 
been ordered from Evansville, Ohio, to report to Patterson, and 
the order was executed with a promptness which evidenced the 
anxiety of officers and men for action. Hurrying on to Grafton 
and thence to Cumberland, which was reached on the night of 
the 9th, Colonel Wallace rested his men and then resolved to 
make a dash at the Confederate force stationed at Romney. 
Disguising his plans, under pretense of seeking a camping 
ground, Wallace, with about eight hundred men, pushed on to 
New Creek by rail. A perilous and fatiguing night's march 
brought the troops, on the morning of the 11th, to the bridge 
crossing the south branch of the Potomac. In spite of opposi- 
tion, this was crossed on the run and the bewildered insurgents, 
wholly uninformed as to the strength of their assailants, fled in 
all directions. Wallace, having but a small force and nocavalry, 
contented himself with this scare and got back to Cumberland 
in good condition. He had, however, effected far more than 
he anticipated or hoped for. 

General Johnston, apprised of this movement, and w^hoUy 
unable to account for it, feared a surprise, and at once resolved 
to evacuate Harper's Ferry. His troops left in two columns, one 



EVACUATION OF HARPER'S FERRY. 138 

going toward Winchester, with intent to join the force at 
Manassas Junction ; the other retreating through Loudon 
County toward Leesburg. Before quiting, however, all public 
property in the vicinity was destroyed. The bridge, including 
the Winchester span, one thousand feet in length, was burned, 
and an attempt made to blow up the piers. The railroad bridge 
at Martin sburg, and the turnpike bridge over the Potomac at 
Shepherd stown. were also destroyed. The armory buildings 
were burned, the machinery having been removed to Richmond. 
Not content with the destruction of the bridges General John- 
ston blocked the railway and canal by blasting huge rocks over- 
hanging near the Ferry. Among the other obstructions an im- 
mense boulder, weighing about ono hundred tons, known as 
Bolman's Rock, was overturned and hurled from Point of 
Rocks on to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. This was 
removed by blasting on June 14th, and the road reopened to 
Harper's Ferry. Meantime Johnston had pitched liis camp at 
Charlestown, on the road to Winchester. General Patterson 
was then at Hagerstown, Md. , and at once pushed forward with 
some nine thousand troops, and on the 16th and 17th of June 
forded the river at Williamsport. twenty-six miles above where 
Johnston had been encamped. Patterson's force at this time 
consisted of the Pennsylvania First, Second, Third, Seventh, 
Eleventh, Thirteenth and Twenty-fourth regiments together 
with the Fi st Rhode Island Regiment, two regiments 
of United States regmars and seven hundred United States 
cavalry. Included in this force were Captain Doubleday's 
corps and McMuUen's company of Philadelphia Rovers. 
The fording of the river was accomplislied under the super- 
intendence of General Thomas. The men dashed into the 
stream in high glee, singing "Dixie" and other popular airs with 
unusual vim; they were generally above their hips in water, 
and sometimes it reached their arm-pits. General Patterson 
intended to make Harper's Ferry his base, to open communica- 
tion along the Baltimore and Ohio, maintain a strong force at 
Martinsburg and Charlestown, and then by a steady advance 
toward Winchester and Woodstock, break the insurgent line 
of communication with Nortliwest Virginia. These plans, 



134 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

however, wereui^sot by orders from headquarters, and, in spite 
of urgent remonsti-ances, he was compelled to obey General 
Scott's imperative orders and send to Washington all the 
regulars, horse and foot, in his command, together with Burn- 
side's Rhode Island regiment. Left without artillery, only one 
cavalry regiment, barely drilled, and a total force not exceed- 
ing ten thousand men, General Patterson was obliged to recall 
his men from the Virginia side. At this time General Cad- 
wallader had marched to Falling "Waters, on the way to Harper's 
Ferry. The Confederates, some fifteen thousand strong, well 
drilled, with about twenty field pieces and a large body of 
cavalry, were encamped under General Joe Johnston only a few 
miles off. It was a perilous position, yet Patterson was obliged 
to remain inactive until the beginning of July. The impatience 
and peremptory orders of General Scott, which thus thwarted 
a bold scheme and brought much undeserved censure upon 
Patterson, can only be ascribed to the i)anic which prevailed at 
the Capital about the time of the assembling of Congress. It 
was pretty generally believed that General Beauregard, who 
was in command at Manassas Junction, had been ordered to 
attack Washington and prevent the assembling of Congi*ess. 
It was also rumored that a plot to blow up the Capitol while 
Congress was in session had been devised, and that it had been 
submitted to Davis and his Attorney-General, Judah P. Benja- 
min. In the light of later revelations there is not much doubt 
but both these projects were really entertained. In his eager- 
ness to prevent so dire a catastrophe General Scott appears to 
have lost sight of every other consideration, and thus lost the 
chance to prevent the junction of Beauregard's and Johnston's 
forces. 

On the 1st of July General Patterson made a reconnoissance 
and on the following day crossed the Potomac at the Williams- 
port Ford and took up the line of march for Martinsburg. 
Colonel John J. Abercrombie led the advance, and at Falling 
Waters, five miles from the ford, came in contact vrith a force 
under General Thomas Jonathan Jackson (afterward known 
as " Stonewall " Jackson). This was Jolmston's advance and 
consisted of Stuart's cavalry, between three and four thousand 



BATTLE OF FALLING WATERS. 135 

infantry and Pendleton's field battery, Abercrombie at once 
gave battle. Lieutenant Hudson, with a section of Perkins' 
battery, took the roadway, supported by the Philadelphia City 
First Troop of cavalry, and advance, in the face of a brisk fire. 
The First Wisconsin, the Eleventh Pennsylvania and McMuUen's 
Philadelphia Rovers (or Rangers) also participated. After half 
an hour's sharp cannonading the guns of the rebels were silenced 
and the approach of Colonel George 11. Thomas' biigade con- 
vinced even Jackson that discretion was the better part of valor. 
He made a rapid retreat to Hainesville, the i)ursuit being main- 
tained for about five miles. Jackson then pushed on to Bun- 
ker's Hill, where Johnston sent reinforcements, ani as the 
Confederate troops had previous to this largely outnumbered 
the Federal force Abercrombie did not deem it wise to force 
the fighting any further. In this memorable little battle of 
Falling Waters the Confederate loss was about eighty killed 
and wounded and the Union forces had three killed and ten 
wounded. 

On the 3d of July General Patterson entered Martinsburg 
and a few days later was reinforced by Colonel Stone with the 
Ninteenth and Twenty-eighth New York and General Sanford 
with the Fifth and Twelfth New York regiments. The troops, 
however, needed rest, and supplies of every kind were running 
low, therefore it was decided to wait at this point for a couple 
of weeks. 

The other engagement about this time, preceding the im- 
portant fight at Bull Run, was the battle of Rich Mountain, 
Virginia, on July 11th, between a detachment of Union troops 
under General Rosecrans and about one thousand Confederates 
under Colonel Pegram. There had been a skirmish on the 
previous day on the Staunton road. The battle of the 11th 
was short and sharp, the Confederates losing some 150 killed and 
wounded, including several officers. General McClellan, who 
had been encamped at Roaring Run, at once prepared to attack 
Pegram 's camp. This movement, however, ^vas detected and 
Pegram, under cover of darkness, broke camp and made for 
Laurel Hill, where General Robert S. Garnett, who had succeed- 
ed Colonel Porterfield in the command of Northwestern 



136 



HISTORY OF THE CIVIL "WAK. 



Yirgitiia, was oiu'ampod. But Gariiett had also taken the alarm 
and Avas making for Staunton, by way of Beverly. This avenue 
of escape, however, was blocked by McClellan's rapid advance, 
and Garnett, passing through Ijeedsville gap, made for the 
Cheat Range of mountains and thence to Carrick's Ford on the 
Cheat Eiver. Meantime Rosecrans had taken possession of 
Pegram's camp, and on the 14th of July Pegram. with some 800 







CARRICK'S FORD. 



of his disorganized ami half -starved, troops, surrendered to 
McClellan at Beverly. 

General Garnett had encamped after crossing CiUTiclr's Ford, 
but General JMorris, with his four thousand men and a detach- 
ment of McClellan's colimin under Captain H. W. Benham, 
pressed him closely, and on the loth a decisive engtigement was 
fought at Carrick's Ford in which Garnett was killed and some 
thirty of his men shared the same fate. A large numlx>r were 
wounded ajul the ivst weiv dispei^seil in givat disorder. During 



FIGHT AT CAREICK'S FOKP. 137 

the three days' fighting tlie I 'niou forces lost but thirteen Icilled 
and had about forty wounded. About seven cannon, a large 
quantity of provisions and seveiid wagons were captured by t lie 
Unionists. 

In another direction ex-Grovernor Henry A. Wise, now hold- 
ing a Confederate brigadier's comuiission, was engaged 
teiTorizing the loyal citizens in the Great Kanawha Valley and 
proposed to elfect a junction with Gnrnett, crossing over by 
the headwaters of theGauley Eiver. To check this McClellan 
sent General J. D. Cox with a detachment. Cox crossed at the 
mouth of the Guyandotte River and captured Barboursville. 
Colonel Lowe liad meanwhile attacked Wise at Screy town, Va.. 
one of his outposts, but had been repulsed with a loss of nine 
killed and forty wounded and missing. The arrival of General 
Cox, however, so alarmed Wise that he hastily retreated to 
I^ewisburg, destroying Gauley Bridge, near the mouth of 
Gaiiley River, on his retreat. This ended the career of General 
Wise; his men, disgusted with his want of skill and tact, deserted 
in large numbers, and he was replaced by Brigadier-General 
John B. Floyd, who had been Confederate Secretary of War. 

We must now turn back to note the formation of the army 
which was soon to take the field under Brigadier- General 
Irwin McDowell, who had previously been placed in com- 
mand of the Department of Virginia. McDowell, a native of 
Ohio, graduated from Vrest Point in lioS and remained there 
for some years as instructor of infantry tactics ; he afterward 
served with considerable credit in the Mexican Vrar, and his 
talent for organization had commended him specially to the 
notice of General Scott, wliose health was such that active service 
in the field was impossible. McDowell had been, throughout the 
month of June, actively engaged in preparing for field opera- 
tions, and tliough men were coming forvrard freely, there was 
much trouble in effecting the details of the equipments neces- 
sary for the extensive operations contemplated. Tlien, again, 
many of the three-months men were ncaring the end of their 
term. The public meanwhile, under the incitement of the press 
of the country, were clamoring for some decisive action and 
the crv of '• On to Richmond" was heard on everv side. The 



138 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

troops also were eager for the fray, and thus it was that a large 
force was put in motion early in July, not nearlj^ so well pre- 
pared for work as its commander desired. 

McDowell's force amounted to about forty-five thousand men. 
This force rested on the Potomac from Alexandria, nine miles 
below Washington, to a point about five miles above that city. 
General Patterson, stationed at Martinsburg, had about eighteen 
thousand men. His force also had the Potomac behind it. 
The Confederate forces in the Shenandoah Valley and at Ma- 
nassas Junction, according to the most reliable estimates, num- 
bered about ninety thousand men, pretty equally divided 
between the commands of Generals Beauregard and Joe E. 
Johnston. The latter had his headquarters at Winchester, 
where he was heavily intrenched. His scheme of operations 
from this base was to j)revent a junction of the columns of 
McClellan and Patterson. Beauregard's position at Manassas 
Junction was considered almost impregnable, the natural 
defenses of wooded hills surrounding the plateau in which the 
main army was encamped having been strengthened by engi- 
neering works of great military value. The naval battery, 
armed with Dahlgren guns, part of the spoils of the Norfolk 
Navy Yard, was a formidable work, well-manned and com- 
manded by naval oflB.cers who had been thoroughly trained in 
the United States service. Thus it will be seen that on the eve 
of actual hostilities in the field the Confederate army was 
fully as well equipped and as efficient as that of the United 
States. 

Up to this time the main anxiety had been for the defense of 
the Capital, and as a consequence the guarding of the Long 
Bridge, the Aqueduct, and the Chain Bridge were deemed of 
the first importance. Block-houses and batteries on Arlington 
and Georgetown Heights and Fort Corcoran covered the Aque- 
duct Bridge, while Forts Jackson, Runyon and Albany pro- 
tected the Long Bridge connecting with Washington City at 
Maryland avenue and Fourteenth street. The Chain Bridge 
was well covered on the Maryland side by a couple of batteries 
commanding its whole length, and a substantial barrier, pierced 
for musketry, had been erected about midway, for the Yir- 



ADVANCE OF THE UNION ARMY. 139 

ginia end was beyond the Union lines and tlierefore open to 
rebel approach. This was the condition of affairs at the be- 
ginning of July, when pubhc opinion, inspired by the press of 
the country, compelled aggressive action on the part of the 
Government. 

On the 15th of July all preparatiows for breaking camp were 
completed, and siiortly after two o'clock the next afternoon the 
advance was begun. General Mansfield, with about fifteen 
thousand men, was left to guard the Capital, while McDowell's 
five divisions under Brigadier-Generals Daniel Tyler and Theo- 
dore Runyon and Colonels S. P. Heintzelman, David Hunter 
and Dixon S. Miles made the forward movement. Tyler, with the 
right wing, moved on to Vienna and there encamped that ni-ht 
pushing on the next morning along the Georgetown road,\he 
objective point by the entire advance being Fan-fax Court 
House. On the 17th, at daybreak, the other columns advanced 
m the following order : Miles along tJie Braddock road ; Hun- 
ter along the Leesburg and Centreville road ; Heintzelman by 
the Little River turnpike. The temporary obstructions thrown 
up by the Confederates were speedily removed, and before mid- 
day Centreville, which had been abandoned by the rebels was 
occupied by the Federal forces. Germantown Village' two 
miles beyond, was next occupied by McDowell's and Tyler's 
divisions. Failing to meet with serious opposition the troops 
partly demoralized by the fact that the three months' service had 
nearly expired with many of them, indulged in excesses which 
the Commanding General found it necessary to sharply rebuke 
and punish. 

While this advance was being made, General Patterson, at 
Martinsburg, was expected to prevent the junction of John- 
ston s force with that of Beauregard's at Bull Run. This duty 
however he was unable to perform, and for this failure he was 
subjected to sharp criticism. It is but a matiov of justice to 
lec-ord that fuller information proved the fallacy of the hasty 
public judgnient of a man whose mihtary abiUty, indomitable 
pluck and dogged Irish obstinacy can never be honestly 
assailed. He was hampered by orders not to fight unless suc- 
cess was certain ; was being hourly weakened bv the departure 



140 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

of men whose three months' time was up, and, in addition to 
all this, he was without direct communication with the main 
army for several days preceding the disaster at Bull Run. 
Whether blame attaches for his having allowed Johnston to 
elude him, or whether the grounds of humanity and expediency 
are sufficient to justify him for not risking an isolated engage- 
ment with a superior force, are matters which more able mili- 
tary critics may discuss among themselves. As we shall have 
to notice presently, however, Johnston, with six thousand 
infantry, did reinforce Beauregard on the 20th, and thus render 
possible the defeat of the next day. 

To return to the main advance which we left at Centreville 
and Germantown. McDowell, on the 18th, made a reconnois- 
sance in. connection with his intended movement to turn the 
Confederate right flank at Manassas. Tyler at the same time 
pushed on to the vicinity of Bull's Run, where the rebels had 
thrown up earthworks. Pushing still further Tyler made a 
reconnoissance to Blackburn's Ford. Every Union movement, 
however, was communicated to Beauregard, and as a conse- 
quence Tyler found himself in an ambuscade. The Second 
Michigan encountered the first brush with the concealed foe. 
The Third Michigan, the Twelfth New York, and the First Mas- 
sachusetts were sent to their assistance, and at once received a 
severe musketry fire from the woods, supplemented by the fire 
of a masked battery near the Ford. Tyler's movement having 
been foreseen, Longstreet had massed his own and some of 
Early's men to meet it, and the Federal forces in some confu- 
sion, for a time, fell back behind Ayres' battery. On the 
arrival of Colonel W. T. Sherman with his brigade, Corcoran's 
New York Sixty-ninth leading, the attack was resumed and 
kept up till 4 o'clock P. M. At this hour the rebel batteries 
were still active, and McDowell, finding the Manassas position 
could not be turned, resolved to fall back to Centreville. In this 
engagement, which the Federals called the Battle of Black- 
burn's Ford, and which the Confederates claimed as a victory and 
termed the Battle of Bull's Run, the loss on the Union side was 
19 killed ard 64 wounded and missing. General Beauregard's 
official report of Confederate losses quotes 13 killed, 2 missing 



BATTLE OF BULL RUN. 141 

and 53 wounded, many of whom afterward died. He also 
claims to have found and buried 64 corpses, to have taken 20 
prisoners and 175 stand of arms, besides a quantity of accoutre- 
ments and blankets, and one hundred and fifty hats. It must 
be conceded that it was a slight reverse to the Federal arms, 
but the usual exaggerations of the rebels magnified the affair 
to an extent wholly disproportionate to the real facts. Still the 
effects were depressing to the Union army, and tended toward 
a shrinkage of force v/hich a victory might have prevented. 

McDowell, however, knew that a decisive blow must at least 
be attempted at once, ere the expiry of the three months' term 
deprived him of a large proportion of his force. He planned 
an attack on the 20th, having made a careful reconnoissance on 
the previous day. His force at this time massed around Centre- 
ville w^as about thirty thousand, and Runyon, with another five 
thousand, was near at hand. Delays in the transmission of sup- 
plies from the Capital postponed his advance and meanwhile some 
ten thousand men claimed their discharge. Plenty of hard work 
and but little glory seemed to be the prospect, and rose-colored 
promises from headquarters as well as from the commander in 
the field failed to propitiate them. Among those who thus 
quit the service at a critical moment were Varian's battery of 
the New York Eighth Regiment and the Fourth Pennsylvania. 
War was a new trade, with more kicks than pennies in it, and 
there is every excuse to be made for the men. These defections 
left McDowell with but 28,000 men and 49 guns at the close of 
the 20th of July. His own desire was to j)ush forward that 
night and attempt to turn the Confederate left by occupation of 
the Stone Bridge and the Warrenton turnpike, and then seizing 
the Manassas Gap Railroad place himself between Johnston and 
Beauregard. In deference to the views of his officers the 
advance was postponed until Sunday morning. In the mean- 
time Beauregard's strength, which on the 19th had been inferior 
to McDowell's, had been, as we have previously shown, 
augmented by Johnston's strategic detour around Patterson with 
six thousand men through Ashby'sGap to Piedmont and thence 
by rail to Manassas. Thus, while McDowell was losing strength 
and was ignorant of Johnston's movements, Beauregard war 



142 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

not only being largely reinforced, but was also cognizant, 
through treachery, of all the details of his adversary's 
condition. 

McDowell's plans were laid for an advance at 2 a. m. on 
Sunday, July 21st. A still, clear night with the bright light of a 
full moon wrestling with expiring camp fires around Centre ville 
gave a weird aspect to the scene of great bustle in the Federal 
lines. Precisely at the appointed hour the advance was begun 
in three divisions; after crossing Cub Run, Tyler's division with 
Ayres' and Carlisle's batteries and Schenck's and Sherman's 
brigades wound along the Warrenton turnpike to accomplish 
their mission, a feigned attack on the Stone Bridge at daybreak 
to cover the real attack of Hunter and Heintzelman on the rear 
and flank of the enemy's left wing. The want of promptness 
on the part of undisciplined troops, however, delayed this oper- 
ation until past six o'clock, more than two hours later than 
should have found Tyler in position and threatening his objec- 
tive point. 

Nor was this the only misadventure which foreshadowed the 
disasters of the day, for Hunter and Heintzelman, misled as to 
distance and compelled to traverse a difficult route, were fully 
four hours behind their appointment. In addition to all this 
the Confederates, so far from being taken by surprise, had been 
planning an attack on the Federal position at Centreville. The 
official dispatches of General Beauregard show that this 
scheme was reluctantly abandoned on account of the condition 
of the roads and that the main details of McDowell's intended 
movement having been betrayed to the Confederate Commander, 
lie formed his plans to receive the Federal attack at Bull Run, 
and then to throw forward a sufficient force by converging 
roads to attack the Federal reserve at Centreville so soon as the 
main attacking force was inextricably engaged on the left. This 
duty was assigned to General Ewell, but it would seem that 
the orders did not reach liim, for late in the day, finding that 
Ewell, posted on the extreme right of the line, had not ad- 
vanced according to programme, Beauregard sent a courier to 
ask the reason, and then for the first time learned that the 
previous order had miscarried. It was too late then, as it would 



QENEEAL M'DOWELL'S REPORT. 148 

take three hours for Ewell to reach Centreyille, and cousequentlv 
the plan wa, abandoned and General Johnstok was directed o 
chaoige front on the left, bring up Ewell's reserves and thus 

o"rr fo%"Ew:f r "^^^-^^ ^'™"«- ^'- ^^^^ 

bW tothe u'ion al! " ""^'"*^'* ^ ^'"' """^^ '^--'•°- 

cremnciesTn't "' '"' T'" °' ^"" ^"" P''''^^''* «° ""-y dis- 
crepancies that we can best gi™ our idea of it by quoting first 

hTbv ^h ": ."'""r "'^ °'"^'^' ^^P''^' -<> -.PPle^eming 
feder«-I "'!,'''^^'"«°'« °f eye-witnesses and extracts from Co J 
leclerate offimal reports. 

Genei-al McDowell, after detailing the advance from camp 
substantially as we have given it, says : ^' 

" General Tyler commenced wil,h liis artillerv af- h«if r.oof • 
enemy did not reolv and nff,.,- .^ "^'^ '^"i^^ery at half-past six a. m., but the 

frorSudleVs?prinJou.r„™, "'''T *" ''"■''^"" ""^ "«^ road leading 

Tod ^o^^a ^^rfrot r:''' w^"'''' ™^ ^'"'''^ ^«"-" «-W^ 
is open, and for nearly a mn.fM* f ~"""'^ °" """^ ^'"^'^ °' ">« '•°'«' 

e laney ot a small wateroourse, a tributary of Bull Run 
tog it up ;jth infamrv ThV .„H ' ^f""""^ '" "'» artiUery and foUow- 
corps Of Pone. .Brigade, and a regiment detached from Hetatzelman's Di- 



144 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 



vision to the left, forced the enemy back far enough to allow Sherman's and 
Keyes' Brigades of Tyler's Division to cross from their position on the War- 
renton road. These drove the right of the enemy from the front of the 
field and out of the detached woods, down to the road, and across it up the 
slopes on the other side. While this was going en. Heintzelman's Division 
was moving down the field to the stream, and up the road beyond. Beyond 
the Warrenton road, and to the left of the road down which our troops had 
marched from Sudley's Spring, is a hill with a farm-house on It. Behind 
this hill the enemy had, early in the da.y, some of his most annoying bat- 
teries planted. Across the road from this hill was an elevated ridge or table 
of land. The hottest part of the contest was for the possession of 
the hill with the house upon it The force engaged here was Heintzelman's 
division. Wilcox's and Howard's brigades on the right, supported by part 
of Porter's brigade and the cavalry under Palmer, and Franklin's brigade of 
Heintzelman's division, Sherman's brigade of Tyler's division in the centre 
and up the road, while Keyes' brigade of Tyler's division was on the left 
attacking the batteries near the Stone Bridge. The Rhode Island battery of 
Burnside's brigade also participated in this attack by its fire from the north 
of the turnpike. Ricketts' battery, together with Griffin's battery, was on 
the side of the hill, and became the object of the special attention of the 
enemy, who succeeded— our officers mistaking one of his regiments for one 
of our own, and allowing it to approach without firing upon it— in disabhng 
the battery, and then attempted to take it. Three times was he repulsed by 
different corps in succession and driven back and the guns taken by hand 
(the horses being killed) and pulled away. The third time it was supposed 
by us all ihat the repulse was final, for he was driven entirely from the hill, 
and so far beyond it as not to be in sight, and all were certain the day was 
ours. He had before this been driven nearly a mile and a half, and was 
beyond the Warrenton road, which was entirely in our possession from the 
Stone Bridge westward, and our engineers were jjst completing the removal 
of the abatis across the road to allow our regiments (Schenck's brigade and 
Ayres' battery) to join U3. 

"The eupmy was evidently disheartened and broken. But we had been 
fighting since half-past ten o'clock in the morning, and it was now after 
three in the afternoon. The men had been up since two in the morning, and 
had made what seemed to those unused to such things a long march before 
coming into action, though the longest distance gone over was not more than 
nine and a half miles ; and though they had three days' provisions served out 
to them the day before, many no doubt either did not eat them or threw 
them away or' the march or during the battle, and were therefore without 
food. They had done much severe fighting. Some of the regiments which 
had been driven from the hill in the first two attempts of the enemy to keep 
possession of it, had become shaken, were unsteady, and had many men out 
of the ranks. 

" It was at this time that the enemy's reinforcements came to his aid from 
the railroad train, understood to have ■'ust arrived from the Valley with the 
residue of Johnston's army. They threw themselves in the works on our 



GEN. M'DOWELL'S REPORT. 145 

right and towards the rear of our rijrht, and opened a fire of musketry on 
our men, which causea them to break and retire down the hill-side. This 
soon degenerated into disorder for which there was no remedy. Every 
effort was made to rally them, even beyond the reach of the enemy's fire, 
but in vain. The battahon of regular infantry alone moved up the hill 
opposite the one with a house on it, and there maintained itself until our 
men could get down to and across the Warren ton turnpike, on the way back 
to the position we occupied in the morning. The plain was covered with the 
retreating troops, and they seemed to infect those with whom they camo in 
contact. The retreat soon became a rout, and this degenerated still further 
into a iDanic. 

" Finding the state of affairs was beyond the efforts of all those who had 
assisted so faithfiUly during the.long and hard day's work in gaining almost 
the object of our wishes, and that nothing remained on the field but to 
recognize what we could no longer prevent, I gave the necessary orders to 
protect their withdrawal, begging the men to form in line, and offer the 
appearance, at least, r f organization. They returned by the fords to the 
Warren ton road, protected by Colonel Porter's force of regulars. Once on 
the road and the different corps coming together in small parties, many 
without officers, they became intermingled and all organization was lost. 

" According to general ordei-s, while the operations were going on in front 
an attack was to be made at Blackburn's Ford, by Richardson's brigade. 
This was well carried out, and succeeded for a considerable time in deceiving 
the enemy and keeping in check part of his force. 

" At the time of our retreat, seeing great activity in this direction, much 
firing and columns of dust, I became anxious for this place, fearing if it 
were turned or forced the whole stream of our retreating mass would be 
captured or destroyed . After providing for the protection of the retreat by 
Porter's and Blenker's brigades, I repaired to Richardson's and found the 
whole force ordered to be stationed for the holding of the road from Ma- 
nassas by Blackburn's Ford to Centreville on the march, under the orders of 
the division commander, for Centreville. I immediately halted it and 
ordered it to take up the best line of defense across the ridge that their posi- 
tion admitted of, and subsequently taking command in person of this part of 
the army, I caused such disposition of the forces, which had been added to 
by the First and Second New Jersey and the De Kalb regiments, ordered up 
from Runyon's reserve before going forward, as would best serve to check 
the enemy. The ridge being held in this way, the retreating current passed 
slowly through Centreville to the rear. The enemy followed us from the 
ford as far as Cub Run, and, owing to the road becoming blocked up at the 
crossing, caused us much damage there, for the artillery could not pass, and 
several pieces and caissons had to be abandoned. In the panic the horses 
hauling the caissons and ammunition were cut from their places by persons 
to escape vrith, and in this way much confusion was caused, the panic aggra- 
vatea and the roa-l encumbered. Not only were pieces of artillery lost, but 
also many of the ambulances carrying the wovmded. 
"By sundown most of our men had gotten beyond Centreville bridge, and 



146 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

it became a question whether we should or not endeavor to make a s^and 
there. The condition of our artillery and its ammunition, and the want of 
food for the men, and the utter disorganization and consequent demoraliza- 
tion of the mass of the army, seemed to all who were near enough to be 
consulted— division and brigade commanders and staffs— to admit of no alter- 
native but to fall back : the more so as the position at Blackburn's Ford was 
then in possession of the enemy and he was already turning our left. On 
sending the officers of the staff to the different camjjs they found that our 
decision had been anticipated by the troops, most of those who had come 
from the front being already on the road to the rear, the panic with which 
they ciimi' in still continuing and hurraying them along 

" Shortly afterward the rear guard (Blenker's brigade) moved, covering the 
retreat, Avhich was effected during the night and next morning. The troops 
at Fairfax station, leaving by the cars, took with them the bulk of the sup- 
plies which had been sent there." 

This report quotes the number of killed at nineteen officers 
and four hundred and sixty-two non-commissioned officers and 
privates, and tlie wounded at sixty-four officers and nine hun- 
dred and forty-seven non-commissioned officers and privates. 

Subsequent official reports give the following figures : Union 
loss, 481 killed, 1,011 wounded and 1,460 missing. There were 
also lost 4,000 muskets and 4,500 sets of accoutrements, 20 can- 
non and a large quantity of ammunition. The Confederate loss 
is stated at 378 killed, 1,489 wounded and 30 missing. 

The officers commanding divisions and brigades during this 
engagement were as follows : Brigadier General Daniel Ty- 
ler, Connecticut Volunteers; Colonel David Hunter, Third Cav- 
alry, severely wounded at the head of his division; Colonel S. 
P. Heintzelman, Seventeenth Infantry, wounded in the arm 
while leading his division into action on the hill: Brigadier 
General Bobert Schenck, Ohio Volunteers, commanding Sec- 
ond Brigade, First Division; Colonel E. D. Keyes, Eleventh In- 
fantry, commanding First Brigade, First Division; Colonel W. 
P. Franklin, Twelfth Infantry, First Brigade, Thu'd Division; 
Colonel W. T. Sherman, Thirteenth Infantry, commanding 
Third Brigade, First Division; Colonel Andrew Porter, Six- 
teenth Infantry, commanding First Brigade, Second 3 ivision; 
Colonel A. E. Burnside, Rhode Island Volunteers, commanding 
Second Brigade, Second Division; Colonel O. B. Wilcox, Mich- 
igan Volunteers, commanding Second Brigade, Third Division, 
who was wounded and taken prisoner while on the hill in the 



LIST OF THE OFFICERS ENGAGED. 



147 



hottest of the fight; Colonel O. O. Howard, Maine Volunteers, 
commanding Third Brigade, Third Division; Colonel J. B. Rich- 
ardson, Michigan A'olunteers, commanding Fourth Brigade, 
First Division; Colonel Louis Blenker, New York Volunteers, 
commanding First Brigade, Fifth Division; Colonel Thomas A. 
Davies, New York Volunteers, commanding Second Brigade, 
Fifth Division. 

Of General McDowell's staff, his oflacial report gives the fol- 
lowing list : First Lieutenant H. W. Kingsbury, Fifth Artillery, 












bull's run battle ground. 

aide-de-camp ; Major Clarence S. Brown, New York Militia 
Volunteers, aide-de-camp ; Major James S. Wadsworth, New 
York Militia Volunteers, aide-de-camp. He had a horse shot 
under him in the hottest of the fight. Captain James B. Fry, 
Assistant Adjutant-General ; Captain O. H. Tillinghast, Assist- 
ant Quartermaster, who Avas mortally wounded while acting 
with the artillery; Captain H. F. Clark, Chief of Subsistence 
Department ; Major Meyer, Signal Officer, and Major Malcolm 
McDonnell, acting as aides; Surgeon W. S. King and Assistant 



148 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

Surgeon Magruder, Medical Department ; Major J. G. Barnard, 
Engineer ; First Lieutenant Fred. S. Prima, Engineers ; Cap- 
tain A. W. Whipple, First Lieutenant H. L. Abbott and Second 
Lieutenant H. S. Putnam, Topographical Engineers ; Major 
W. F. Barry, Fifth Artillery, Chief of Artillery ; Lieutenant 
George C. Strong, Ordnance Officer ; Major W. H. "Wood, First 
Infantry, Acting Inspector-General. Second Lieutenant George 
Henry also joined McDowell in the field and acted as aide-de- 
camp. 

It is doubtful whether any chosen detail of the day's fighting 
would give a clearer conception of the humiliating disaster to 
the Federal arms, and as General McDowell, irritated by the 
slowness of the advances of Hunter and Heintzelman had actu- 
ally passed them on the road with his staff and was conse- 
quently an attentive spectator as well as an actor in the events 
of the battle, the clear-cut narrative of his report may be ac- 
cepted in its entirety. The language, though guarded, amply 
indicates that the troops left the field a routed rabble. 

In a further section of his report McDowell states that he 
crossed Bull Run with 18,000 men of all arms, and he justly 
claims that the force attacked, when reinforced by those whom 
Patterson had failed to intercept, was largely in excess of the 
attacking army. He also states that among the missing were 
many surgeons who, remaining in attendance on the wounded, 
were, against the rules of modern warfare, made prisoners. 

Turning from the dry routine recital of this reverse, it will 
be interesting to quote from the vivacious correspondent of the 
New York World, whose letter, dated July 22, bristles with the 
excitement of the scenes he had just passed through. Skipping 
his narrative of the details of the projected advance, which 
have already been covered in these columns, we will start with 
him on the " Midnight ruarch." He says : 

" There was moonlight, and no moonlight scene ever offered more varying 
themes to the genius of a great artist. Through the hazy valleys and on hill 
slopes, miles apart, were burning the fires at which forty regiments had 
prepared their midnight meal. In the vistas opening along a dozen lines of 
view, thousands of men were moving among the fitful beacons ; horses were 
harnessing to artillery, white army wagons were in motion with the ambu- 
lances — whose black covering, when one thought about it, seemed as 



A NEWSPAPER CORRESPONDENT'S ACCOUNT. 149 

appropriate as that of the coffin which accompanies a condemned man to 
the death before him. All was silent confusion and intermingling of moving 
horses and men. But forty thousand soldiers stir as quickly as a dozen, and 
in fifteen minutes from the commencement of the bustle every regiment had 
taken its place, ready to fall into the division to which it was assigned. 
General McDowell and staff went in the centre of Tyler's, the central 
column. At 2 30 a.m. the last soldier had left the extended encampments, 
except those remaining behind on guard. ******** The spirit 
of the soldiery was magnificent. They were all smarting under the reproach 
of Thursday and longing for the opportunity to wipe it out. There was 
growing rivalry among the men of different States. ' Old Massachusetts will 
not be ashamed of us to-night.' 'Wait till the Ohio boys get at them.' 
' We'll fight for New York to-day.' and a hundred similar utterances were 
shouted from the different ranks. The officers were as glad of the task 
assigned them as the men. I rode a few moments with Lieut.-Col. Haggerty, 
of the Sixty-ninth. He mentioned the newspaper statement that he was 
killed at the former battle, and laughingly said he felt very warUke for a 
dead man, and good for at least one battle more. This brave officer was 
almost the first victim of the day. The cheery voice of Meagher, late the 
Irish, now the American patriot, rang out more heartily than ever. Then 
there were Corcoran, and Burnside, and Keyes, and Speidel, and many 
another skilled and gallant officer, all pushing forward lo the first fruition 
of the three months' patient preparation. * * * General McDowell's 
carriage halted at the junction of two roads, a place most favorable for the 
quick reception of despatches from all portions of the field. The column 
assigned to Colonel Hunter here divided from the main body and went on 
its unknown, perilous journey aroimd the enemy's flank." 
After describing the opening of tbe battle he says : 
" Meantime Richardson, on the extreme left, could not content himself 
with ' maintaining his position,' for we heard occasional discharges from two 
of his guns. From the hill behind we could see long columns advancing, 
and at first thought they were Richardson's men moving on Bull Run ; but 
soon discovered their true character. Indeed, from every southward point 
the enemy's reinforcements began to pour in by thousands. A person who 
ascended a lofty tree could see the continual arrival of cars at the nearest 
point on the Manassas railroad with hosts of soldiers, who formed in soUd 
squares and moved swiftly forward to join in the contest. It was hard for 
our noble fellows to withstand these incessant reinforcements, but some of 
our regiments whipped several corps opposed to them in quick succession, 
and whenever our forces, fresh or tired, met the enemy in open field, they 
mxtde short work of his opposition. 

" At 10:30 A. M. Hunter was heard from on the exreme right. He had pre- 
viously sect a courier to General McDowell, reporting that he had safely- 
crossed the Run The General was lying on the ground, ha\ang b.-en ill 
during the night, but at once mounted his horse and rode on to join the 
column on which so much depended. From the neighborhood of Sudley 



150 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

Church he saw the enemy'c; left in battle array, and at once advanced upon 
them with the Fourteenth New York and a battalion of regular infantry- 
Colonel Hunter ordering up the seal wart Rhode Island regiments, the Second 
New Hampshire and the New York Seventy-first. Governor Sprague him- 
self dii'ected the movements of the Rhode Island brigade, and Avas con- 
spicuous throughout the day for gallantry. * * * = As soon as Hunter was 
thus discovered to be making his way on the flank, General Tyler sent for- 
ward the right wing of his column to co-operate, and a grand force was thus 
brought to bear on the enemy's left and centre. The famous Irish regiment, 
1,G00 strong, claimed the honor of a share in the hard fighting and led the 
van of Tyler's attack, followed by the Seventy-ninth (Highlanders), the 
Thirteenth New York and Second Wisconsin. 

"It was a brave sight— that rush of the Sixty-ninth into the death struggle ! 
With such cheers as those which won the battles in the Peninsula, with quick 
step at first and then a double quick, and at last a run, they dashed forward 
and along the edge of the extended forest. Coats and knapsacks were throsvn 
to either side, that nothing might impede their work, but we knew that no 
guns would slip from the hands of those determined fellows, even if dying 
agonies were needed to close them with a firmer grasp. As the line swept 
along Meagher galloped toward the head, crying : ' Come on, boys 1 You've 
got your chance at last ! ' Tyler's forces then moved forward for half a 
mile, describing quite one-fourth of a circle on the right, until they met a 
di\dsion of the enemy, and, of course, a battery of the enemy's most ap- 
proved pattern. It was noon, and now the battle comm enced in the fierce- 
ness of the most extended fury. * * * For some time the fight raged at 
a distance from the non-combatants, but the battle on the hilltop could be 
seen. * * * Then the battle began to work down the hill, the returning 
half of the circle which the enemy, driven before the desperate charges of 
our troops, described diu-ing the day, until the very point where Tyler's 
advance commenced the action. Down the hill and into the valley 
thickets on the left, the Zouaves, the Connecticut, New Y'ork and Rhode 
Island regiments di-ove the continually enlarging, but always vanquished, 
columns of the enemy. It was only to meet more batteries, earthwork suc- 
ceeding earthwork, ambuscade after ambuscade. Our fellows were hot and 
weary, most had drunk no water during hours of dust and smoke and insuf- 
ferable heat. No one tnows what choking the battle atmosphere produces 
in a few moments imtil he has personally experienced it. And so the con- 
flict lulled for a little while . It was the middle cf a blazing afternoon. Our 
regiments held the positions they had won, but the enemy kept receiving ad- 
ditions and continued a flank movement toward our left— a dangerous move- 
ment for us, a movement which those in the rear perceived and vainly en- 
deavored to induce some general officer to guard against. Here teas the 
grand hhmder, or, misfortune of the battle. A misfortime that we had no 
troops in reserve after the Ohio regiments were again sent forward, this 
time to assist in building a bridge across the run on the Warrenton road by 
the side of the Stone Bridge known to be ruined. A blunder in that the last 
reserve was sent forwai'd at all. It should have been retained to guard the 



THE HASTY FLIGHT FROM THE FIELD. 161 

rear of the left, and every other regiment ou the field should have been 
promptly recalled over the route by Avhich it had advanced and ordered only 
to maintain such positions as rested on a supported, continuous line. But 
McDowell tried to vanquish the South in a single struggrle, and the sad result 
is b(^ fore us. 

"As it was, Captain Alexander, with his sappers and miners, was ordered 
to cut through the abatis by the side of the ruined bridge and lay po'jtoons 
across the stream. Carlisle's artillery was detailed to protect the work and 
the Ohio and Wisconsin reserve to support the artillery. Meanwliile in the 
lull I have mentioned the thousand heroic details of Federal valor and the 
shamelessness of. I'ebel treachery began to reach our ears. We learned of 
the loss of the brave Cameron (brother of the Secretary of War), the wound- 
ing of Heintzelman and Hvmter, the fall of Haggerty and Sloenm and Wil- 
cox. We heard of the dash of the Irishmen and their decimation, and of 
the havoc made and sustained bj- the Rhode Islanders, the Highlanders, the 
Zouaves aiid the Connecticut Third -^then of the intrepidity of Burnside and 
Sprague— how the devoted and daring young Governor led the regiments he 
had so munificently equipped again and again to victorious charges, and at 
last spiked, with his owia hands, the guns he could not carry away. 

"At this time, near four o'clock, I rode forward through the open plain 
to the creek, where the abatis was being assailed by our engineers. The 
Ohio, Connecticut and Minnesota regiments were variously posted there- 
abouts ; others were in distant portions of the field; all were completely ex- 
hausted and partly dissevered; no general of division, except Tyler, could 
be found. Where were otu" oflficers ? Where was the foe ? Who knew 
whether we had won or lost ? The question was quickly decided for us. A 
sudden swoop, and a body of cavalry rushed down upon our columns near 
the bridge. They came from the woods on the left, and infantry ix)ured 
out behind them. Tyler and his staff, with the reserve, were apparently 
cut off by the quick manoeuvi'e. I succeeded in gaining the position I had 
just left, there witnessed the capture of Carlisle's battery in the plain, and 
saw another force of cavalry and infantry pom-ing into the road at the very 
spot where the battle commenced, and near which the South Carolinians, 
who had manned the battery silenced in the morning, had doubtless all day 
been lying concealed. The ambulances and wagons had gradually advanced 
to this spot, and of course instantaneous confusion and dismay resulted. 
Our own infantry broke ranks in the field, plunged into the woods to avoid 
the road, got up the road as best they could, without leaders, every man 
serving himself in his own way. * * * * In his account of the panic- 
stricken flight he says : ' I saw ofiScei-s with leaves and eagles on their 
shoulder-straps, majors and colonels who had deserted their commands, pass 
me galloping as if for dear life. No enemy pursued just then, but I suppose 
all were afraid that his guns would be trained down the long, narrow avenue, 
and mow the retreating tliousands, and batter to pieces armj' wagons and 
everything else which crowded it. Only one field officer, so far as my obsei'- 
vation extended, seemed to have remembered his duty. Lieut. -Col. Speidel, 
a foreigner attached to a Connecticut regiment, strove against the current 



153 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

for a league. I positively declare that all other efforts made to check the 
panic before Centreville was reached were coaflned to civilians. I saw a 
man in citizen's dress, who had thrown off his coat, seized a musket and was 
trying to rally the soldiers who came by at the point of the bayonet. In 
reply to a request for Ms name, he said it was Washburne, and I learned he 
was the member by that name from Illinois. The Hon. Mr. Kellogg made a 
similar effort . Both these Congressmen bravely stood their ground till the 
last moment, and were serviceable at Centreville in assisting the halt there 
ultimately made.' ***** 

" The right of Miles' reserve, drawn up on the hills at Centreville, sup- 
porting a full battery of field pieces, and the efforts of the few officers still 
faithful to their trust, encouraged many of the fugitive infantry to seek 
their old camps and go no further. But the majority pushed on to a point 
near the late site of Germantown, where Lieutenant Brisbane had formed a 
line of Hunt's artillerists across the road and repulsed all who attempted to 
break through. "While he was thus engaged, a courier arrived with the news 
that Colonel Montgomery was advancing with a New Jersey Brigade from 
Falls Church, and that the retreat must be stopped, only wagons being 
allowed to pass through. Some thousands of the soldiery had already got 
far on their road to Washington. Poor fellows ! who could blame them? 
Their own colonels had deserted them, only leaving orders for them to reach 
Arlington Heights as soon as they could. A few miles fm-ther I met Mont- 
gomery swiftly pressing to the rescue. and T reported the success of Lieutenant 
Brisbane's efforts. And so I rode along as well as my weary horse would 
carry me, past groups of straggUng fugitives, to Fairfax, where Colonel 
Woodbm-y was expecting, and guarding against, a flank movement of the 
enemy, and on again to Long Bridge and the Potomac. But the van of the 
runaway soldiers had made such time that I found a host of them at the 
Jersey intrenchments begging the sentinels to allow them to cross the 
bridge. To-day we learn of the safe retreat of the main body of the army; 
that they were feebly followed by the rebels as far as Fairfax, but are now 
within the Arlington lines, and that McDowell, a sttmned and vanquished 
general, is overlooking the wreck of his columns from his old quarters at the 
Custis Mansion." 

We must turn from this sad spectacle to note the results at 
the Capital, the streets of which were swarming with the tat- 
tered, footsore and disheartened men who had so recently 
started thence flushed with hope and wild with the excitement 
of anticipated victory and glory. 

The stunning blow fell on the Administration like a thunder- 
bolt from a clear sky, and in an instant, the entire nation awoke 
from its dream of a three-months' campaign, to a realization of 
the fact that a bloody war was to be fought, rather than that a 
paltry insurrection was to be put down. The dejection, how- 



EFFECTS ON THE ADMINISTRATION. 153 

ever, was brief, and the exultant shouts of the Confederates 
aroused a fierce determination to accept the issue and abide all 
consequences. That marvelous elasticity which is so pecu- 
liarly a characteristic of the American people, and which 
exhibits itself, in peaceful times, by the prompt good nature 
which follows the most heated political contest when the ver- 
dict of the ballot boxes has been registered, at once came to the 
rescue of the nation. The three-months' men, some seventy- 
five thousand in number, took their discharges, it is true, upon 
the principle that " a singed cat dreads the fire," but their 
places were eagerly filled by others. Many went coolly from a 
sense of duty, but very many more felt that to stay at home 
was to earn an ineffaceable stigma. Public opinion no longer 
clamored for " On to Richmond," but it sternly pressed forward 
its best bone and sinew to the field, anywhere, everywhere, so 
that the insult to the Union might be wiped out. It was with 
very different feelings, however, that the new recruits entered 
upon their self-imposed task ; there were no more sneers at the 
Confederate cause, but " for three years or for the war," was 
the ready response of those who, appreciating that the South- 
erners were no insignificant f oemen, w^ere resolved that, cost 
what it might, the great peril of free institutions, popular sov- 
ereignty and human rights must be averted. 

In Washington the first feehng was of dread lest the enemy 
should push on and capture the Capital, but w^hen, after a 
brief pause, it was found that the Confederates proposed to 
content themselves with shouting, the Administration, keenly 
alive to the disgrace of its own misjudgment, retreated from 
its position of arrogant egotism and gladly welcomed the offers 
of troops which the loyal States had eagerly, though vainly, 
proffered before. On the 23d of July, the day after the dis- 
astrous defeat. General George B. McClellan was summoned to 
Washington from the scene of his dashing movements in West 
Virginia and placed in full command of the Army, on the 
retirement of McDowell, who, though certainly blameless, felt 
that the loss of his prestige would impair his value even with 
new troops. The Departments of Washington and of North- 
eastern Virginia were created, and McClellan, with head- 



154 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

quarters in Washington City, at once commenced the task of 
building up that phenomenal organization thereafter to be 
known as the "Army of the Potomac." It was a "labor of 
Hercules," but the gallant young Philadelphian, then in the 
thirty-fifth year of his age only, w^as equal to the task, spurred 
on, as he was, by his own fearless ambition and the plaudits of 
the public. The new "Departments" were announced on the 
25th of July, and on the 27th McClellan, having turned over 
his previous command to Brigadier-General Rosecrans, assumed 
full charge. A rapid review of the nucleus of the shattered 
Army disclosed not more than 50,000 infantry, no cavalry, 
barely seven himdred artillerymen and about thirty guns. Look- 
ing closer into matters, he found the men ready enough, but 
wholly incompetent and demoralized by laxity of previous 
discipline. This he at once began to remedy ; it was lience- 
forth to be soldiering, and the officers whose only ambition 
was to w^ear shoulder-straps, were sent back to their desks 
and workshops. A speech made by McClellan when passing 
through Philadelphia, on July 25, may be taken as the text of 
his operations. In response to the calls of an enthusiastic 
crowd assembled at the depot, he said : " My friends and old 
townsmen, I tliank you for your reception, and might reply if 
this were not a time for action and not for speech. Your 
applause, as I take it, is intended for my brave soldiers in 
Western Virginia. I am going to fulfill new duties, and I trust 
that your kindness will give me courage and strength. Grood 

Calling to his aid Major J. G. Barnard and Major W. F. 
Barry, he gave the latter chai'ge of the artillery details and 
the former he assigned to the duty of protecting the City of 
W\ashington by elaborate wx^rks on either side of the Potomac. 

His own work, after weeding out the incompetents, was to 
establish a thorough code of disciphne and perfect the army ' 
details. Four regiments were constituted a brigade and three 
brigades a division, with four batteries, one served by regu- 
lars and three by volunteers, the captain of the regulai's in 
chief command of all the artillery. Within fifty days he had 
mustered 100,000 men, most of whom were fit for immediate 



GEN. M'CLELLAN'S VIGOROUS WORK. 155 

service. His recommendations to the President for the con- 
stituent elements of the main army were 250 regiments of 
infantry, 28 regiments of cavahy, 5 regiments of engineers, 
100 iield batteries, comprising 600 guns, to be served by 15,000 
men, a total of 273,000 men. (Tliis standard was nearly reached 
in March following. ) 

While McClellan was thus arranging for men, Secretary 
Cameron was looking around for arms. The loss of the Gos- 
port Navy Yard and the destruction at Harper's Ferry had 
somewhat crippled the i)roductive resources of the Govern- 
ment. Supplies, however, were speedily obtained abroad, the 
appropriations of Congress being immediately available, and 
at a cost of $2,044,931 Colonel George L. Schuyler purchased 
in Europe 116,000 rifles, 10,000 cavaky carbines, 10,000 revol- 
vers and 21,000 sabres. 

Alarm for the safety of the Capital speedily abated as 
McClellan's vigorous measures were noted and appreciated, 
and throughout the country, while the tension was still severe, 
the people breathed more easily ; but they had settled down to 
the conviction that there were many vicissitudes in store 
before peace could be even hoped for. 

In another chapter we will glance at concui'rent events in 
other disturbed districts and peep within the Confederate lines. 



CHAPTER XI. 

MOVEMENTS IN MISSOURI— GOVERNOR JACKSON'S DEFIANCE— M'CULLOUGH's TEXAN 
RANGERS— THE BATTLE OF CARTHAGE— ENGAGEMENT AT DUG SPRING- 
BATTLE OF WILSON'S CREEK — DEATH OF GEN. LYON— FREMONT'S C>PERATIONS 
IN ST. LOUIS— MARTIAL LAW PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT MISSOURI. 

We must now trace up the movements in the Mississippi 
Valley. As far back as April 18, Governor Claiborne F. Jack- 
son, of Missouri, had replied to Secretary Cameron's requisition 
for troops under President Lincoln's first call that "the requisi- 
tion is illegal, unconstitutional, revolutionary, inhuman, dia- 
bolical, and cannot be complied with." As if the Governor's 
reply was not sufficiently explicit, the Charleston Mercury, of 
April 19th, in quoting the refusal, adds — "Missouri won't 
furnish a single man for such an unholy crusade." Although 
Missouri was not admitted to the Confederacy till August 19th, 
the secession sympathies and the deep laid schemes of Governor 
Jackson had been matters of notoriety very early in Lincoln's 
administration, and it was suspected that one of the earliest 
movements would be an attack on the United States arsenal 
at St. Louis. This was the contingency against which General 
Wool had endeavored to provide by instructing Governor Yates, 
of Illinois, to send a force to guard it. It was, nowever, 
deemed better to remove a large portion of the arms secretly 
rather than precipitate matters by openly strengthening the 
local military. Captain Nathaniel Lyon and Colonel Frank P. 
Blair, the former m command of the post, and the latter busily 
engaged in organizing a regiment of loyal Missourians, were 
keenly watching the Secession meetings ; and, finally, on April 
30th, obtained an order from the President empowering Captain 
Lyon to enroll ten thousand loyal citizens of St. Louis in the 
service of the United States. But Governor Jackson, at the 
instigation of Brigadier- General Daniel M. Frost, of the militia, 
had called the State troops into camp by the 3d of May. 
The camp was termed " Camp Jackson," and two of 



CAPTURE OF CAMP JACKSON. 157 

its principal avenues were named ' ' Beauregard " and 
"Davis." Some two weeks later, Captain Lyon learned that 
cannon and mortars, with appropriate ammunition, had 
been secretly landed from a steamer and taken to Camp Jackson. 
In female disguise he examined the preparations at the camp, 
and feeling sure that an attack on the arsenal was imminent, 
he determined by initiating hostilities to put an end to the 
scheme. Accordingly on the 11th he surrounded the camp 
with six thousand men, and placed heavy guns in position to 
command the entii'e grove Frost was fairly trapped, and 
finding resistance unavailing, despite the frenzy of a mob 
which had rushed out from the city to join in the expected 
melee, he surrendered, on demand, with his 1,200 men, each 
armed with a new rifle, twenty cannon, and a quantity of 
ammunition which had been taken from the Baton Rouge 
arsenal. The prisoners declining release on parole, were 
marched to the arsenal. Riotous demonstrations en route were 
followed up during the night by a collision between the troops 
and the Secessionists, in which several persons were killed. 
About this time General Wm. S. Harney assumed the com- 
mand of the Department of the West, and finding that the 
Missouri Legislature had passed a military bill authorizing the 
Governor to contract a State loan for war purposes and to call 
all able-bodied men out for the defense of the State, promptly 
issued a proclamation denying its validity and terming it a 
Secession ordinance. He, however, entered inlo negotiations 
with General Sterling Price, chairman of the late convention, 
looking to a compromise by which neutrality was pledged. It 
was well known by the loyalists that no pledges would bind 
Jackson and his Secession advisers, and the Administration 
being warned of this, recalled Harney and placed Lyon, with 
the rank of Brigadier General, in command of the " Depart- 
ment of Missouri." Governor Jackson still held on his course, 
declaring that the people of his State should not be subjugated, 
and finally, after a meeting between the Governor, with his 
Secretary, T. L. Smead, and General Price and the Federal 
Commmder Lyon, accompanied by Colonel Blair, an open 
rupture was initiated. Jackson demanded that Federal troops 



158 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

should quit the State, and this being peremptorily refused, the 
Governor retired to Jefferson City, called out 50,000 State 
troops, and in bis proclamation defied the Washington authori- 
ties. He appointed General Sterling Price Military Com-, 
niander of the State forces, and prepared, as he said, to resist 
invasion, but really to raise the standard of revolt. 

In General Lyon, however, he met his match. Having first 
fortified Bird's Point opposite Cairo, he next sent Colonel 
Franz Sigel to protect the Pacific Railroad from St. Louis to the 
Gasconade River and to prepare for checking the advance of 
Ben McCullough, the Texan ranger, who had crossed the Arkan- 
sas Dorder with eight hundred men and was pushing for Spriug- 
field. On the 13th of June, Lyon with about two thousand 
men; Missouri Volunteers, under Colonels Blair and Boern- 
stein; regulars under Captain Latrop, and artillery under Cap- 
tain James Totten, started in two steamers from St. Louis for 
Jefferson City. Ere their arrival on the 15th, Price and 
Jackson had evacuated the city and after destroying the bridges 
along the railroad had made a stand near Boone ville, some 
forty miles from Jefferson Cit3^ Lyon, however, pushed after 
them on three steamers, so that the bridge burning was mere 
reckless destruction. On the 17th Lyon found the enemy under 
command of Colonel Marmaduke a few miles below Boone- 
ville. A brisk attack and a vigorous cannonade from Totten's 
artillery supplemented by an unexpected fire from the river, 
where the transports were engaged in silencing a small shore 
battery, completely demoralized the rebels, who fled in all 
directions, leaving the camp and its stores in the hands of the 
Federals. Governor Jackson who had watched the fight, re- 
treated hastily to Warsaw on the Osage River. Totten pur- 
sued for some distance, but Jackson with about five hundred 
men kept on a headlong flight to Montevallo, in Vernon County, 
where General Price joined him on July 3d, he having been at 
Lexington under pretense of illness when the camp was taken. 
General G. J. Rairs was also pressing on to the same point. 
Jackson's next efforts were directed toward a junction with 
McCullough 's rangers with a view to making the southwestern 
section of the State his base of operations, for he had by this 



THE BATTLE OF CARTHAGE. 



159 



time discovered that the " Palmetuu" principles would not 
thrive among; the loyalists of northern Missouri. 

Meantime Sigel had pushed on to Springfield, whither he was 
advised that McCullough was heading. Finding, on arrival at 
this point, that Governor Jackson and General Price weie mov- 
ing in a southwesterly direction, Sigel liushcd on to Sarcoxie, 
reaching there late on the 28th. Here he learned that General 
Price with nine hundred men had encamped at Pool's Prairie, 
and that Jackson and Rains were moving to join liim. Hastily 
forming a plan to cut up 
Price before he could be 
reinforced, Sigel started at 
once, but soon heard that 
Price had fled to Elk Mills, 
thirtj^ miles south of Neo- 
sho, the capital of Newton 
County. Pushing on to 
this point, he found the 
insurgents had been pil- 
laging there and had gone 
on. Leaving a small force 
at Neosho, and keeping 
open a communication 
with Sarcoxie, Sigel, rein- 
forced by Colonel Salo- 
mon and his Missouri bat- 
talion, advanced to Carthage, the capital of Jasper County, and 
encamped on the south fork of the Spring River late on the 4th 
of July. But while Sigel was looking for Price, that worthy, 
with Rains, Clark, Parsons and Stack, and a force of some six 
thousand men,under the immediate command of Governor Jack- 
son, was on the still hunt for Sigel. The troops with the latter 
numbered in all about 1,500 men, with eight field pieces. On 
the morning of the 5th of July, Sigel, having learned that this 
force was about ten miles off, determined to attack it, though 
he knew the disproportion of the two commands. Some nine 
miles north of Carthage, after passing Dry Fork Creek, Sigel 
came upon his foe drawn up to receive him on a small eleva- 




GEN. FRANZ SIOEL, 



160 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

tion. That he was vastly outnumbered was evident to Sigel, 
but he quickly noted that the enemy were badly off for artil- 
lery, and he at once began battle with his field pieces. The 
Confederates, however, had plenty of cavalry, and these, 
under Rains, attempted a flanking movement right and 
left. Good artillery service kept them at a distance, 
but a retreat was imperative, and this was effected 
in an orderly manner under cover of the field pieces. Near 
Dry Fork Creek the rebel cavalry passed round to the front of 
the retreating Federals, but a vigorous canonading and a brisk 
infantry charge cleared the road. After a running fight Sigel at- 
tempted to halt at Carthage, but was so closely pressed by the cav- 
alry that he was compelled to push on to Sarcoxie. The little party 
of ninety men under Captain Conrad left to guard Neosho, had 
meanwhile been surprised and taken prisoners. " In this engage- 
ment, known as the Battle of Cartilage, the Federal loss was 14 
killed and 31 wounded ; they also lost four field pieces, nine 
horses and one baggage wagon. The Confederate loss in killed 
and wounded was not far short of 600 ; they also lost 80 horses, 
a lot of shot-guns and had 45 men taken prisoners. Fearing 
to be pressed still harder with his small force, Sigel pushed on 
through Mount Vernon to Springfield. Here he halted to 
await General Lyon, feeling sure that a junction of the Con- 
federate commands could not be prevented. Meanwhile, Lyon, 
who left Booneville on July 3d, had been joined by Major 
Sturgis with three thousand men, and the united force pushed 
on to the ferry on the Grand River, and thence reached the 
Osage River late in the night at a point some eight miles from 
Springfield. Here they heard of Sigel's battle at Carthage, 
and his retreat. This somewhat changed Lyon's plans, and, 
hurrying to Sigel's rehef, the troops made a forced march of 
fifty miles in twenty-four hours in the direction of Springfield. 
On the 13th Lyon came up with Sigel, and, encamping, took 
the chief command. Offensive operations were almost impos- 
sible, since the men's enlistment terms were expiring, and all 
appeals for reinforcements were unanswered. 

The Confederate forces, however, were being regularly con- 
solidated, and by the 29th Price, McCuUough, Pearce and 



ENGAGEMENT AT DUG SPRINGS. 161 

McBride had effected a junction at Cassville, and with 20,000 
men of all arms prepared to overwhelm Lyon, Sigel and Sturgis, 
who could only muster some fifty-five hundred infantry, four 
hundred cavalry and eighteen guns. The Confederates' plan 
was to invest Springfield by converging columns, one advancing 
from Sarcoxie and the other from Cassville. Becoming aware 
of this, Lyon resolved to abandon his defensive position and 
risk open battle. Accordingly, on the 1st of August, he moved 
south with his entire force to look for the enemy at Cassville. 
Early on Ihe morning of the 2d of August, at Dug Springs, nine- 
teen miles southwest from Springfield, they encountered a large 
force under General Eains, and a sharp engagement ensued. 
The heroism of Captain Stanley's Fourth Cavalry (regulars) 
routed the Confederate infantry, but their flight was covered 
by a large body of cavalry which suddenly emerged from the 
woods. Being well shelled, however, by Captain Totten from 
a neighboring hill, these were in turn thrown into confusion, 
and Lyon's forces were left in possession of the valley. The 
Confederates lost about eighty killed and wounded, and the 
Federals eight killed and thirty wounded. After feeling vainly 
for the enemy for a couple of days, Lyon moved back on Spring- 
field and occupied his old camp again on the 6th. The battle of 
Dug Springs, while it had encouraged the Federal troops, had 
taught McCuUough a lesson, and he favored a retrograde move- 
ment. Price, however, dissented, and while the two leaders 
were at odds on the question. Ma j or- General Leonidas Polk, 
commanding the Confederate Department, ordered McCullough 
to advance on Lyon. This brought matters to an issue, and 
resulted in McCullough taking the chief command. At mid- 
night on the 7th, the entire force of 20,000 men in three columns, 
under McCullough, Pearce and Price, broke camp and began an 
advance on Springfield. They had miscalculated Lyon's move- 
ments, and therefore when on the 9th they reached Wilson's 
Creek, some nine miles south of Springfield, they had seen 
nothing of the Federal troops. 

General Lyon, apprised of the advance and conscious of the 
weaknessof his position at Springfield, had to choose between 
the alternatives of a hasty retreat, or a bold advance to meet 



162 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

the foe and give him battle. Lyon determined on the latter 
course, and on the night of the 9th he resolved to surprise the 
Confederate camp at two points simultaneously. 

McCullough, on his part had resolved on a somewhat similar 
plan, with four columns, but postponed the attack on account of 
a storm, and having drawn in his pickets ready for an advance 
next morning, had actually played into Lyon's hands in a most 
unexpected manner. 

The tw^o Federal columns under Lyon and Sigel left Spring- 
field during the afternoon and evening of the 9th, and in the 
small hours of the next morning each was in the positions 
selected ; Lyon w'ithin sight of the camp-fires on the Confed- 
erate front, and Sigel in the rear by way of their right. 

At 5 o'clock on the morning of the 10th, Lyon, with Major 
Sturgis as his second in command, dashed on Rains' camp on 
the extreme north, and was within musket shot before the ap- 
proach had been observed. Thoroughly alarmed, Rains called 
on Price for aid. Meantime Lyon Avas pressing on supported 
by Totten's battery, while Dubois' battery was attending to a 
concealed Confederate battery across the ridge. While the 
battle was at its hottest on the right, a body of Confederates 
carrying a Union flag got close to Totten's battery, and but for 
detection would certainly have captured it. The trick being dis- 
cov^ered, however, the rebels were made to pay dearly for their 
audacity. In the meantime General Sigel with his little force 
of 1,200 men and six guns, opened fire on the rear of the Con- 
federate camp almost simultaneously with Lyon's attack in 
front. After vigorously shelling the camp, which was the 
first notice of his approach, Sigel's men dashed over the 
creek and into the camp from which the Texas rangers 
and mounted Missourians had hastily escaped. After re- 
forming his men, Sigel moved along the Fayetteville road, 
and seeing a large body of men advancing toward liini under a 
Union flag, naturally supposed them to be a portion of Lyon's 
force. He gave orders to ceaee firing in that direction, and 
suddenly a Confederate banner was raised — thetreaclierous foe 
were in his midst, hacking down his men and artillery horses. 
It was an instant rout. The regimental flag and five of his guns 



DEATH OF GENERAL LYON. 168 

had been captured and three-fourths of his men killed or dis- 
persed. Unaware of Sigel's mischance, Lyon was sturdily 
battling against enormous odds on the extreme right, and was 
frequently wounded. Totten's batterj'^ had hurled back several 
Confederate charges, and the conflict had raged over four hours, 
when Colonel Mitchell, of the Second Kansas, was wounded 
and disabled. General Lyon, bleeding from wounds on the leg 
and head, dashed to the front to lead on the Kansas troops, 
when a rifle ball pierced his heart. The death of General Lyon 
and the absence of General Sigel threw the immediate com- 
mand upon Major Sturgis. This was at about 9 a. m., and the 
fierce fighting had ceased for a time. Wliile Sturgis was hold- 
ing a hasty council with liis brother officers, while the question 
of immediate retreat was under discussion, a body of men, sup- 
posed to be Sigel's, came from the direction wliere Sigel's bat- 
tery was understood to be, and the waving of a Union flag 
again covered a Confederate advance. At the same time Sigel's 
captured guns again opened fire on the Federal forces. Another 
hand-to-hand struggle ensued, and Sturgis' line was well nigh 
broken, when Captain Granger, supported bj^ Dubois' battery, 
came hurrying forward and instantly turned the tide of battle. 
The Confederate right wavered, then fell back, and the con- 
fusion spread along the whole line, which hastily sought refuge 
in the woods. 

The battle of Wilson's Creek was over, but the Confederates 
remained masters of the field, the shattered remnant of the 
Federal forces being unable to dislodge the enemy, and having 
no alternative but to fall back to Springfield. On the retreat 
Sigel, with his three hundred men, joined Sturgis. Reaching 
their old camp in the early evening the troops were rested till 
3 A. M. on the 11th, when the line of march was taken up for 
Rolla, 125 miles distant. Here, on the 19th, they arrived with- 
out molestation, and established ''Camp Good Hope," having 
direct railway communication with St. Louis. The Federal loss 
in killed, wounded and missing was placed at 1,256 men, while 
the Confederates lost nearly eighteen hundred men. 

The Confederates were boastful of their great victory, but as 
they made no attempt to follow up the retreating force, with its 



164 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAE. 

valuable Government train, estimated at a million and a half of 
dollars, it is clear that they were only entitled to score a drawn 
game. The boastful attitude of McCullough provoked Price, 
and a wrangle ensued, in consequence of which the Texas guer- 
rilla left the State in search of some more congenial field of 
action. 

Meanwhile the political affairs of the State were in almost 
inextricable confusion. The Loyal Convention had deposed 
Governor Jacksrm and substituted Hamilton R. Gamble as Pro- 
visional Governor, and this official issued a temperate procla- 
mation assuring the citizens that slaveholding interests 
sliould be protected. This was promptly met by a counter 
proclamation on the part of the deposed Lieutenant-Governor, 
who announced the severance of Missouri from the Union and 
the appointment of General Pillow, of Tennessee, assisted by 
^T. Jeff Thompson and Brigadier W. J. Hardee as the military 
rulers of the State. 

At this time John C. Fremont, Major General of Volunteers, 
had been appointed by the Federal Government to the command 
of the Western Depa^ment, with headquarters at St. Louis, 
He had a difficult task before him, but with characteristic en- 
ergy set about frustrating the plans of Pillow, and on the 30th 
of July started an expedition to strengthen Bird's Point and 
Cairo. This accomplished, he returned to St. Louis, appointing 
General McKiustry Provost Marshal. This quelled the incipient 
revolt in that city. On the 31st of August General Fremont 
issued another proclamation extending the operation of martial 
law throughout Missouri, and threat en hig the confiscation of the 
property of all rebels for public use, and the emancipation of all 
slaves held by them ; it also made the destruction of bridges, 
railways and telegraphs capital offenses, punishable by death. 
This intimation of reprisals by slave emancipation was deemed 
premature, and awoke a storm of indignation, under pressure 
of which the President requested Fremont to modify his procla- 
mation. As he declined to do so, President Lincoln himself 
issued an order providing that only slaves compelled to act in 
the military service of the (-"Confederacy were declared free. 
The mistake in this matter, if mistake there was, certainly did 



LINCOLN'S INSURRECTION PROCLAMATION. 165 

not rest on Fremont's shoulders, since the principle involved 
was one which, sixteen months later, was adopted by the Ad- 
ministration as one of the most powerful engines for the sup- 
pression of the Rebellion. 

Such was the condition of affairs in Missouri at the end of 
August. 

In the meantime, however, on the 16th of August, President 
Lincoln liad issued a proclamation, in accordance with the act 
of Congress approved July 13th. 1861, declaring the inhabitants 
of Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, 
Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Florida and Virginia (except that 
part of the latter State lying west of the Alleghany Mountains) 
in a state of insurrection against the United States, declaring 
all commercial intercourse with such States unlawful until such 
insurrection shall have ceased or been suppressed, and declaring 
further that all goods and chattels, wares and merchandise 
coming from any of the said States into other parts of the 
United States without the special license and permission of \he 
President, or proceeding to any of the said States by land or 
water, together with the vessel or vehicle conveying the same 
or conveying passengers to or from the said States, will be for- 
feited to the United States; and that from and after fifteen 
days from the issuing of this proclamation all ships and vessels 
belonging in whole or in part to any citizen or inhabitant of 
any of the said States found at sea or in any port of the United 
States will be forfeited to the United States. 

Taking all in all, August was a busj^ month, and at its close 
the nation had settled down to the conviction that a stubborn 
war was to be waged. 



CHAPTER Xn. 

QKN. BUTLER AT FORTRESS MONROE— RELIEVED BY GEN. WOOT, — THE BURNING 
OF TUE VILLAGE OF HAMPTON—MAORUDER BAFFLED— SUTLER ASSUMES THE 
OFFENSIVE— CAPTURE OF FORTS HATTERAS AND CLARK— CAPITULATION OF 
THE GARRISONS— EVENTS AND OCCURRENCES OF A GENERAL CHARACTER. 

We left General Butler in command of Fortress Monroe, with 
Camp Hamilton, on the outskirts of Hampton, covering his 
position. The camp had been assigned to Colonel Max Weber. 
The disastrous battle of Bull Run had compelled Butler to close 
in his lines and abandon Hampton on the other side of the 
creek. The old Confederate plan of an attack upon Fortress 
Monroe was again conceived by General Magruder, in command 
at Yorktown. On Monday, August 5, he left Yorktown with 
two Tennessee, one Georgia and one Alabama regiment, some 
other infantry, and a small force of cavalry : about 6,000 men 
in all, with eight guns, one rifled. Encamping at Great Bethel 
on Tuesday, Magruder pushed on next day to Newmarket Bridge, 
about two and one-half miles from Hampton, reaching there 
about 11 A. M. The intent was to attack Newport News and 
Fortress Monroe sinuiltaneously, but Magruder supposed that 
Butler would come out to attack him and consequently formed 
his men in line of battle at Newmarket Bridge. Mr. Mahew, 
formerly of Bath, Maine, who had removed to Georgia and 
had there been pressed into the rebel service, was one of the 
Georgia regiment. A thorough loyalist, Mr. Mahew saw his op- 
portunity to render the Federals a service, and escaping to the 
wootls,he swam the creek and gave liimself up to the pickets with 
a request to be taken at once to General Butler. The informa- 
tion he gave as to Magruder's plans was at once telegraphed to 
Colonel Plielps at Newport News and preparations were made 
to meet the combined attack. It is possible that Mahew's 
desertion and its motives were at once apprehended, for an 
advance into Hampton Avas made by the Rebels, their advance 
guards entering the village abi)ut 4 P. M. Late in the evening, 



THE BURNING OF HAMPTON. 



167 



General Butler having visited Ctimp Hamilton, ordered the 
force holding Hampton Bridge to resist any attempt to i)ass or 
destroy it. About 25 feet of the planks on the IIanii)ton village 
end were torn up and a barricade erected which was held by a 
detachment of Colonel Weber's riflemen. The~e prep- 
arations were but just completed when the rebels at- 
tacked the bridge, but being picked off by the marksmen, 
retired after a sharp interchange of shots. Returning to the 
village, orders were given by Magruder to apply tl»e torch and 




itVUMNQ OF HAMPTON. 



totally destroy the i)luce. There were rebel sympathizers in 
Hampton, and these, though property-owners themselves, lent 
their aid in the fiendish work. So quickly were the flames kin- 
dled that the terrilied inhabitants iiad no o])portumty to save 
their furniture, getting otf at best with a few portable ^•alua- 
blt's. At the house of Mr. Joseph Segar, a faithful old negro 
undertook to get out some special treasures, when the rebel 
incendiary assigned to the destruction of this ])articular prop- 
erty warned him to desist or he would be sliot. The imper- 
turbable negro coolly replied : " Can't help dat; massa's things 
must begot out." The resultant shot missed the faithful old 



168 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

fellow, who then fled, considering he had gone as far in the 
line of duly as could reasonably be expected. The liouses near 
the bridge were first set lire to, and then the rebels returned to 
the attack on the bridge, their own fiendish work, however, 
behind tliem, casting a lurid glare which rendered them admir- 
able targets for Colonel Weber's German marksmen. The bar- 
ricade was fairly riddled with rebel bullets, but no Federal 
casualties resulted. Repulsed at tiiis point, the rebels drew off 
and set to work in earnest to destroy the remainder of the vil- 
lage. In a short time an immense mass of flame lit up 
the heavens so that it was light enough to read a ne^vspaper as 
far off as Newport News. Every house was gutted save about five 
at tlie north and south ends of the town, and these only escaped 
in consequence of a southwest wind driving the flames from 
them, and the continued peppering of Weber's men kept the 
rebels from approaching them asain. This work of destruction 
accomplished, Magruder retired to Big Bethel andYorktown, 
finding that all iiis other scliemes had been detected and thwarted. 

On the 19th of August General Butler was relieved of his 
command by Majoi -General John E. Wool, who gave General 
Butler command of the volunteer forces outside the fortress. 

In the meantime, Commodore Stringham, whose fleet was 
in Hampton Roads, learned by means of an escaped Union 
prisoner that English blockade-iTinners were landing supplies 
of every kind through Hatteras Inlet, which was covered by 
tlie rebel Forts Hatteras and Clark, on the western end of Hat- 
teras Island. This information was sent on to Butler, and by 
him communicated to Washington, together with a plan for 
the reduction of the forts in question by the aid of the Hamp- 
ton Roads fleet. The project was approved, and General But- 
ler was ordered to take the forts and destroy tliem, preparatory 
to closing the inlet. On the 26th of August, with nine hundred 
men, General BuMer put his expedition in motion. Under 
command of Commodore Stringham the little squadron, con- 
sisting of the flag-ship Minnesota, the frigate Cumberland, the 
transports Creoryc Peabody and Adelaide, made Pamlico Sound by 
the afternoon of the 27th. The Susquehanna, Pawnee, Wabai^h, 
Monticello and Harriet Lane also participated in the movement. 



PORTS HATTERAS AND CLARK CAPTURED. 



169 



While the frigates opened fire on the forts, tlie troops landed 
two miles above on the morning of the 28th at daybreak. After 
four hours' fighting Fort Clark was captured and held by some 
of Colonel Weber's men. As Fort Hatteras was silent, the 
attacking party ceased firing also. The Monticello and the 
Harriet Lane proceeded up the inlet, when suddenly the fort 
batteries were brought to bear on them. The squadron at once 
reopened on the fort, and another engagement began. This 
lasted till evening, when the sqnadron drew off without 







FORT HATTERAS. 



much damage, though the safety of the Monticello was at one 
time a matter of grave concern. 

During the night Commodore Samuel Barron, in command of 
the Confederate squadron in Pamlico Sound, and Major W. S. G. 
Andrews, arrived at Fort Hatteras, and the command was 
turned over to Barron. Supjiosing that Butler's troops were 
holding Fort Clark, the guns were trained on this, but it was 
only waste of powder, for Weber had withdrawn from so 
perilous a position. 

Next morning at an early hour the contest was renewed and 
maintained until nearly noon, the Federal Squadron and a land 
battery handled by Lieutenant Johnson, of the Coast Guard, 
shelling the fort so severely that Barron, after a futile attempt 
to entrap the attacking force, exliibited a white fiag. At the same 



170 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

time his vessels on the sound made off out of reach of the Federal 
squadron. Terms of capitulation were signed on board the 
Minnesota, by which the forts and the entire garrisons, with all 
nxunitioas, etc., were surrendered. Commodore Barron at- 
tempted to capitulate with leave to retire, but Butler was firm 
and the entire Confederate force surrendered as * ' prisoners of 
war." Only a few of the Federals were wounded and none 
killed, while the Confederate loss was 49 killed and 51 wounded. 
The prisoners numbered 691 officers and men, and the capture 
included 29 cannon, 1,000 stand of arms, 6 regimental colors and 
a large amount of military stores. The princijjal officers taken 
prisoners were Major W. S. G. Andrews, Colonel W. F. Martin 
and Commodore Samuel Barron. 

The chagrin of the Confederates over this serious blow was 
deepened by the fact that General Butler, instead of destroying 
the forts according to orders, reported his victory personally at 
Washington, and succeeded in obtaining orders to garrison the 
captured works. Supplies were promptly sent forward to 
Colonel Hawkins, who, with part of the Ninch New York, had 
been left in charge, and thus Hntteras Island and Inlet were 
stopped from further use by the blockade-runners. One back 
alley -way had been closed, ?.nd the position proved the key to 
future operations of a more important character, to which we 
shall refer later on, 

Turning aside, restfully, for a brief space from the din of 
battles, we may note a few straws indicative of the state of 
public feeling about tliis time. On the 30th August, Ambrose 
L. Kimball, editor of the Essex County Democrat, at Haver- 
hill, Mass., who had been publishing Secession articles, was 
taken from his home, tarred and feathered, and ridden on a 
rail through the town, until he consented to apologize on his 
knees and promise not to repeat the offense. In West Chester, 
Pa., about the same time, the office of the Jeffersonian was 
visited by a mob who cleaned out the establishment as a kind 
of gentle remonstrance against the principles of the newspaper. 
No tar : no feathers. At Danville, Ky . , on the same day, 240 
loyal fugitives from East Tennessee, men of all ages, were fed 
in the Seminary yard. The barefooted, weary victims enlisted 



SECESSION SYMPATHISERS STARTLED. Itl 

in the United States service at Camp Dick Robinson, 
Kentucky. At Philadelphia, Pa., Pierce Butler, whose 
letters giving information to the rebels had been inter- 
cepted, was arrested by the United States Marshal and 
taken to New York. At Alexandria, Va., Miss Windle, 
an accomplished authoress, formerly of Delaware, but afterwards 
of Philadelphia, was arrested when about to start for Wash- 
ington. She bad been in correspondence with the rebel leaders 
and boldly avowed her Secession sympathies. At Newport, 
Rhode Island, United States Marshal Albert Sanford captured 
Louis de Bebian, claiming to be a French citizen, but a resident 
of Wilmington, N. 0. He took passage from Wilmington on 
the British vessel Adelso, bound for Halifax, N. S., to meet a 
Cunard steamer, but the vessel put into Newport in distress. 
He complained of his arrest, stating he was on his way to 
Europe to see his family, but among his effects were letters of 
credit amounting to $40,000, with which he was to purchase 
clothing, arms and iron for shipment to Wilmington, N. C, 
and other Southern points. On the 16th of August, the Grand 
Jury of the Circuit Court for the Southern District of New- 
York, sitting in New York city, made presentment against the 
New York daily and weekly Journal of Commerce, the daily 
and weekly News, the daily and weekly Dmj Book and the 
Freeman^s Journal, of New York city, and the daily and 
weekly Eagle, of Brooklyn, charging these periodicals with 
affording encouragement to the rebels, the first-named paper 
having also published a list of newspapers in the Free States 
opposed to what it termed "the present unholy war." The 
Court said he would turn the presentment over to Judge 
Wilson at the October term. In sharp contrast 1 o this, on the 21st 
of August, the Executive Committee of the New Y'ork Union 
Defense Committee reported that up to that date it had spent 
in the equipment of various regiments $581,689 ; for arms and 
ammunition, $26,589, and for relief to soldiers' families, 
$230,000. In Philadelphia, August Douglas, a Baltimore 
merchant, was arrested on a charge of attempting to induce 
Lieutenant Hain to join the rebels, under promise of higher 
rank and pay. 



173 HISTORY OF THE CIVHl. WAR. 

While treason was thus at work in every direction, it is not 
to be wondered at that the Department of State gave notice 
that *' no person will be allowed to go abroad from a port of 
the United States without a passport either from this Depart- 
ment or countersigned by the Secretary of State ; nor will any 
person be allowed to land in the United States without a pass- 
port from a Minister or Consul of the United States, or, if a 
foreigner, from his own Government, countersigned by such 
Minister or Consul. " 

These few extracts from the newspapers of the period tell 
their own story, and give a faithful reflex of the condition of 
society at that period. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

MOVEMENTS IN MISSOURI— THE StEGE OF LEXINGTON — HEROISM OF THE FEDERALS 
—BARBARISM OF THE CONFEDERATES— ATTACK ON SICK AND DYING IN THE 
HOSPITAL— SURRENDER OP MULLIGAN'S CAMP— GENERAL ULYSSES S. GRANT 
AT PADUCAH— ms DASH ON BELMONT— FREMONT SUPERSEDED — SUMMARY OF 
SUBSEQUENT MOVEMENTS. 

Early in September, after the Texan ranger McChillough had 
left Missouri, General Price, phiming himself on what he was 
pleased to call the "great victory on Wilson's Creek," which, 
however, lie had not dared to follow up, began an advance on 
Lexington, the capital of Lafayette County, on the southern 
bank of the Missouri River. After a skirmish at Dry wood 
Creek with a small Union force under General James H. Lane, 
whom he forced to retu'e, Price moved on to Warrensburg, 
which he reached on the 11th of September. But Fremont had 
earl}^ intimation of this advance, and divined its purpose. He 
consequently sent Colonel James A. Mulligan, of the Chicago 
" Irish Brigade," or Twenty-third Illinois, with the Thirteenth 
Missouri and the First Illinois Cavalry, to hold Lexington. 
On the 9th of September, two days before Price left Warrens- 
burg, Mulligan reached Lexington, and at once began throwing 
up works on an elevation to the northeast of the city. The 
intrenchments were rapidly being pushed forward when Price, 
on the morning of the 12th, drove in the extreme picket line 
and opened fire on the camp. Little was done, and Price drew 
off before dark. The entire force with Colonel j\lulligan did not 
number over 3,800 men, and it was clear that the enemy with a 
much larger force would resort to a siege. To meet this con- 
tingency energetic preparations were made, and urgent appeals 
for reinforcements were sent to Jefferson City. None came, 
but the little band resolved to hold the position at ; 11 liazards. 
On the 17tli, Price, who now mustered 25,0U0 men, began 
closing in on the camp. The messengers sent by Mulligan had 
been captured on the river forty miles below, and Price felt 
himself master of the situation. Entering the town and cutting 



174 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

off all communication. Price disposed his forces for a regular 
siege. On the southwest Gen'3ra] Parsons with Cajjtain Guibor's 
battery poured a continuous fire into the works, while picked 
marksmen made targets of individuals incessantly. On the 
northeast General Rains, with a heavy force, and Clark's and 
Bledsoe's batteries were equally active. During the hottest of 
the fight Brigadier-General Harris, one of Governor Jacirson's 
special associates, performed the characteristic feat of assaulting 
and capturing the hospital, killing and wounding the attendants, 
the sick and wounded in their cots, and generally exhibiting 
the ferocity of the Blackfeet Indians. This revolting scene 
stirred the Hibernian blood of the Montgomery Guards, and 
Captain Gleason with eighty men dashed on the fiends, regard- 
less of a fierce fusilade, and drove them like sheep down the 
bluff. Gleason lost thirty men and received two bullet wounds, 
but covered himself with glory and the cowardly rebels with 
shame and disgrace. In the camp, the heroic little band fought 
like devils; parched with thirst, their water supply being cut 
off by the investing force, but from 9 a. m. on the 18th till 
2 P. M. on the 20th they worked and fought, by day and by 
night, in an oven-Hke atmosphere at night and under a fierce 
sun by day. The sublime heroism of the gallant band under 
the inspiration of their dauntless officers is worthy of deathless 
record. When at the hour last named the beleaguered garrison 
were confronted by one of those devices which the erratic genius 
of this country could alone achieve, to wit, a movable line of 
well- wetted hemp bale breastworks, advanced to within almost 
pistol shot of their lines, a longer resistance would have con- 
verted heroism into suicidal folly. Reinforcements could not 
reach them and the entmy were in overwhelming force. On 
his own responsibility Major Becker, of the Eighth Missouri 
R'^giment, raised a flag of truce, and though reprimanded by 
Colonel Mulligan for so doing, his act was shortly after accepted 
as the only alternative. The -garrison surrendered, and Colo- 
nels Mulligan, Marshall, White, Peabody and Grover, with Major 
Van Horn and 118 non-commissioned officers, became prisoners 
of war. About forty men had been killed and three times that 
number wounded. The losses of the enemy were probably 



FREMONT UNJUSTLY CRITICISED. 175 

about the same. The Union loss in material was very heavy, 
some 3,000 niuskt ts and rifles, 5 cannons, 750 horses, a large 
number of wiigons, vast quantities of munitions and accoutre- 
ments falling into the hands of the Confederates. They also 
captured $900,000 in money from the banks, the protection of 
which had been Fremont's main object in sending Mulligan 
forward. While Colonel Mulligan was awarded the thanks of 
Congress, and promotion for his gallantry, the alleged negli- 
gence of Fremont was censured bitterly, but unjustly, for he 
had in his entire department only 56,000 men, and these were 
scattered at remote points, harassed by roving bands of Con- 
federates. Upon this small force even, continual demands 
were being made by General Robert Anderson, who wanted aid 
to protect Louisville, Kentucky ; by General Ulysses S. Grant, 
who was in command of the district around Cairo, and located 
at Paducah, at the mouth of the Missouri River, and was threat- 
ened by Confederates on his flank from Columbus ; and by the 
repeated demands of General Scott for immediate dispatch of 
troops to aid in guardmg the Capital. These facts, however, 
were not appreciated, even at military headquarters ; and Fre- 
mont, piqued by the treatment he was receiving, organized a 
force of 30,000 men under Generals Hunter, Pope, Sigel, Mc- 
Kinstry and Ash both, and on the 27th of September began an 
advance with this army and some eighty-six guns. Pushing on 
to Jefferson City, he forced Price back and Lexington was 
abandoned on the 30th, the Union prisoners there being left 
under guard. On the 16th of October Major Frank J. White 
put the guard to flight by a bold surprise, released the prisoners 
and captured some seventy Confederates. He then pushed on 
to join Fremont, who was now at Warsaw preparing to cross 
the Osage River, which Sigel had ah'eady passed. Heavy rains 
had meantime swollen the stream, and a log bridge was hastily 
improvised, over which some five days later Fremont's force, 
now increased to 80,000 men, safely crossed. His plan in brief 
was to scatter Price's force, capture Little Rock, Arkansas, 
cut off Polk, Pillow, Thompson and Hardee, and w^ith the aid 
of a flotilla from St. Louis push straight on for New Orleans for a 
decisive battle. But Secretary Cameron and Adjutant-Gen- 



176 HISTORY OF THE CTVH. WAB, 

eral Thomas, who had chosen to disapprove liis plans, were 
hastening after him, to see for themselves how matters stood. 
Aware of tliis, Fremont hurried on, bat Cameron and Thomas 
came up with him at Tipton on the 13th of October. They came, 
saw and went away without disclosing their intent, but on their 
return pubhshed an unfavorable report and ontho 2d of Novem- 
ber sent an order directing Fremont to turn over his command 
to Greneral David Hunter. 

Just before this was received Fremont had sent orders to Gen- 
eral Grant at Padu^ah to co-operate in the movements projected. 




PONTOON BRIDGE AT PADUCAH. 



In accordance with these orders an immense pontoon bridge 
was constructed across the Ohio, half a mile below Paducah. 
Smithiield, near the mouth of the Cumberland River, was also 
occupied, and the Confederate base of supplies from Kentucky and 
Tennessee was thus cut off. Fremont had made his dispositions 
to attack Price then marcliing on Springfield, with his van- 
guard, at Wilson's Creek and McCuUough's supporting force at 
Dug Springs. At about midnight on the 3d of November, how- 
ever. General Hunter arrived and disapproved the ijlans. In 
fact, there was to be no chance for Fremont to reap laurels. The 
next official stab was a coldly polite refusal by General Mc- 
CleUan to allow him to retain his Cavalry Corps Body-guard and 



grant's dash on BELMONT. 



177 



the subsequent musteiix.5 --" fiipm out of service on the 28th of 
November. 

Freniont took leave of the army on the 4th of "November, and 
on the 8th was received in St. Louis by a public demonstration 
which went far to atone for the willful or ignorant discourtesy 
of his official superiors. 

In pursuance of Fremont's orders, General Grant liad sent 
Colonel Oglesby to intercept Jeff. Thompson, and had detailed 
General Charles F. 
Smitli to make a de- 
monstration in the di- 
rection of Columbus 
and keep Polk from 
interfering with the 
pursuit of Thompson. 
At the same time 
Grant, with three thou- 
sand men, dropped 
down the Mississippi 
in four steam trans- 
ports and, at dawn on 
the 7th of November, 
landed at Hunter's 
Point on the Missouri, 
and leaving a battalion 
to guard the transports, 
pushed on to the village 
of Belmont, opposite 

Columbus. The gunboats Tyler' and Leooington, which had 
acted as convoy, opened fire on the Confederate batteries a short 
distance above Columbus, and at the same time Grant, throwing 
his men forward in skirmishing lino, drove in the Confederates, 
and charging over the abatis captured the intrenched camp of 
Belmont. Polk, who had only been looking for Smith's attack 
from Mayfield in the rear, was taken completely by surprise. 

It was not possible to hold Belmont, as it was covered by the 
batteries on the Columbus bluffs, consequently, after destroying 
everything in the camp, Grant fell back with his prisoners, 




UI.TS3E3 S. GEANT. 



1*?'8 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 



captured horses and artillery to t,h« landing place. Polk, how- 
ever, sent General Olieathani to intercept him, and crossed 
himself to join Pillow in the attack, while the Columbus bat- 
teries kept up a heavy fire. The gunboats did efficient service, 
and by dint of hard fighting Grant reached his/ flotilla and 
returned to Cairo. His loss had been lieavy, amounting to 
about 580, but the Confederate losses were still greater. Two of 
Beltzhoover's heavy guns were carried away by Grant's 
troops. 

We left General Hunter in command of the army from which 
Fremont had been relieved, but his tenure was short, for on the 
9th of November General Henry Wager Halleck was appointed 
to the command of the Department of Missouri, and Hunter 
was assigned to the Department of Kansas. 

General Hunter had meantime led his troops back from 
Springfield to St. Louis, and General Price cautiously followed 
the retreating Federals, and soon all southwestern Missouri 
was in Confederate grasp. 

Several other fields of operation demand our attention. 
Therefore, with a hasty summary of other fighting and of 
administrative measures w^e must with this chapter close the 
record of events in Missouri for the year 1861. 

On December 17th and 18th, two brigades of General Pope's 
command, under Colonels Steele and Jeff. C. Davis, surprised 
rebel camps at Osceola and Milf ord, securing 360 Confederate 
prisoners at Osceola and 1,300 Confederates, with 1,000 stand of 
arms, 400 wagons, and a large amount of camp equipage and 
stores, at Milford. The Union loss was two killed and seven- 
teen wounded. 

At Mount Zion, in Boone County, on December 28th, a sharp 
engagement occurred between a detachment from the com- 
mand of General Prentiss, consisting of five companies of 
cavalry under Colonel Glover, and five companies of shaip- 
shooters under Colonel Birge. The enemy were strongly 
posted in some woods near Mount Zion Church. A battle ot 
close quarters for over tw^o hours was ended by a bold move- 
ment on the part of Colonel Glover, who turned the position 
and sent the rebels flying in total disorder. The Union loss 



GENERAL HALLECK IN MISSOURI. 179 

was but two killed and eleven wounded, while the Confeder- 
ates lost in killed and wounded about 200 men. The Federal 
forces took thirty prisoners and the entire camp equipage and 
stores. There were several intervening minor skirmishes, but 
their details are not of interest. 

On assuming command in Missouri General Halleck deter- 
mined not only to improve the morals of his army but also to 
teach the wavering citizens that allegiance to the Union was 
their most economic policy. Finding himself hampered with 
fugitives from all sections of the State, he instructed Brigadier- 
General Curtis, Provost-Marshal of St. Louis, to levy on dis- 
loyal citizens for the support of such fugitives, and to inflict 
penal damages on such as resisted the levy. He then cleared 
his camp of the spies who, in the guise of fugitives, were daily 
penetrating the lines. He applied military law to such cases 
without respect to age or sex. "While his harshness in this 
respect has been the subject of much hostile comment, it 
would be but fair to apply the test of ' ' Put yourself in his 
place," when at a distance and in cold blood the actions of a 
much-harassed military man are under discussion. 
• He also dispatched General John Pope on a kind of roving 
commission to break up Confederate camps, giving him gen- 
eral command of all the National troops between the Missouri 
and Osage Rivers. Pope did his work well, and effectually 
blocked the operations of Price, by depriving him of communi- 
cation with recruiting points and forcing him to seek safety on 
the Arkansas border. We have noted the results of his move- 
ments in the two preceding engagements. 

We have noted other military changes of command west of 
the Alleghanies, and it remains only to mention that General 
Don Carlos Buell had superseded General Sherman in com- 
mand of the Department of the Ohio, embracing that State 
and the portion of Kentucky lying east of the Cumberland 
River, and that Colonel E. R. S. Canby had been appointed to 
the command of the Department which included the Territory 
of New Mexico only. 



CHAPTER XIV. 



OPERATIONS IN ■WESTERN VIRGINIA— THE BATTLE OF CARNIFKX FERRY— DEATH 
OF COLONEL LOWE— FLOYD'S HASTY FLIGHT- ATTACK ON THE SUMMIT POST — 
REPULSE OP THE CONFEDERATES— THE KANAWHA VALLEY CLE VRED OF 
INTRUDERS— MOVEMENTS OF m'cLELLAN— THE DISASTROUS BATTLE OF BALL'S 
BLUFF. 

We must now fallback, chronologically, to note events in Vir- 
ginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. 

We have already noted the military changes in July, by which 
the retirement of General McDowell placed General McClellan 
in chief command, and we left the vigorous young commander 

busily perfecting the 
organization of the 
Army of the Potomac. 
Among the changes at 
this time were those 
included in General 
Order No. 46, by which 
Major-Gen eral Robert 
Patterson and Brevet 
Major-General Cadwal- 
lader, of the Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteers, were 
honorably discharged, 
and Maj )r- General N. 
P. Banks was ordered 
to assume command, 
in the Valley of Vir- 
ginia, of the army 
from which Patterson 
was relieved, the Department of the Shenandoah being created, 
with headquarters in the field, Major-General John A. Dix 
relieving Banks at Baltimore, and assuming command of the 
Department of Maryland. McClellan's command, as we have 
seen, was turned over to Brigadier-General Rosecrans, and we 




GEN, ROBERT E, LEE. 



BATTLE OF CARNIFEX FERRY. 181 

will for a brief space note his operations in Western Virginia, 
where General Robert E. Lee was making vigorous efforts to 
obtain a footing in conjunction with Brigadier-General John B. 
Floyd, late Confederate Secretary of War, who had succeeded 
that vainglorious military bubble. General Wise, after the 
battle of Carrick's Ford. 

Early in August, Lee, with 1,600 men, was at Hunters- 
ville, in P>)cahontas County, and his plan was to sweep down 
on Wheeling and threaten Western Pernsylvania. Floyd had 
taken command at Lewisburg, the capital of Greenbrier 
County, and intended to push through the Kanawha Valley and 
dislodge General Cox, who had crossed the Ohio River, and, 
after capturing Barboursville, had pushed on to the Kanawha 
River. 

Leaving a force at Pickett's Mills to prevent Cox turning his 
ilank from Hawksnest, Floyd moved to Carnifex Ferry, on the 
Guuley River, but in making his dispositions there, came to 
grief by the upsetting of a ferry-boat, and thus had his artillery 
and most of his cavalry on one side the river, while his infantry 
and the remaining cavalry were on the other side. Colonel 
Tyler hearing of this mischance, started from Summersville, 
hoping to surprise Floyd and take him at a disadvantage, but 
Floyd, who was wily, if nothing else, turned the tables on him 
and dispersed his force, with the loss of fifty men, on the 
morning of August 26. General Cox had meantime moved 
along the Kanawha Valley and scattered the Confederates at 
all points, until by the end of July he had entered the aban- 
doned Confederate intrenchments at Charleston, near the New 
and Gauley rivers. The Elk River Suspension Bridge had been 
destroyed by Wise previously, and Cox accordingly fortified his 
position and awaited developments. 

General Rosecrans determined to drive Floyd from Carni- 
fex Ferry, and leaving General Reynolds at Cheat Mountain 
with orders to check Lee's advance, he pushed forward by 
a difficult route across the Gauley Mountain range to Sum- 
mersville. By noon on the 9th of September he had reached 
the summit of the range, and soon encountered the outlying 
pickets. After a short skirmish these were driven in. The 



182 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR 

next morning, General Benham's brigade leading the advance, 
the Federals passed through Summersville and pressed on to 
the works which Floyd had thrown up on a hill commanding 
the approach to the Ferry. The Confederates opened a heavy 
fire on Colonel Lytle's skirmishers, and for a time threw the 
line into confusion. The batteries of Schneider and McMullen, 
however, went to their support and the men quickly rallied. 
General Benham then sent the Twelfth and Thirteenth Ohio 
regiments to attack Floyd's right wing, and Colonel Lytle, 
with the Tenth Ohio, made a dash on the centre. In this, how- 
ever, he was severely wounded and his horse was killed. Colo- 
nel Smith, with the Thirteenth, and Colonel Lowe, with the 
Twelfth, under the direction of Adjutant-General Hartsuff, 
made a desperate attack on the right flank of the Confederates, 
in which Lowe fell with a bullet through liis brain. Mean- 
while Rosecrans had organized a column, composed of the 
Third. Ninth and Twenty-eighth Ohio regiments, with Scam- 
mon's brigade in reserve. Colonel Robert L. McCook, with his 
regiment of Germans, the Ninth Ohio, was assigned the post of 
honor. With a wild cheer, in response to his cry of " Forward, 
my bully Dutch ! " the men plunged down upon the enemies' 
intrenchments. But Rosecrans had conceived the idea that the 
plans of Hartsuff involved too much peril, and checked the ad- 
vance at the moment when to all appearances the works would 
have been successfully stormed. Thus, after about four hours' 
fighting and with a loss of fifteen killed and seventy wounded, 
the Federals did not seem to have accomplished much. They 
had, however, done more than they hoped for, Floyd having 
been wounded and so terribly scared that before daybreak he 
fled across the Gauley in confusion, leaving all his camp stores, 
smmunition and equipage behind. He destroyed the bridge 
of logs and the ferry-boat, and did not rest till he had put thirty 
miles betw een his men and the Federal forces. His first halt 
was on Big Bethel Mountain, near New River, from whence he 
pushed on to Meadow Blufl. General Wise, who had refused 
to aid Floyd at Carnifex Ferry, held the position on Big Bethel 
Mountain and established ''Camp Defiance." 
General Reynolds, who had been left at Cheat Mountain Pass, 



BATTLE OF CHEAT MOUNTAIN 183 

had disposed his forces to guard the pass and check General Lee, 
whose main object was to secure this line of communication 
with the Shenandoah Valley. On the 11th of September Lee 
left Huntersville and prepared for a simultaneous attack on the 
pass, the outpost at Elk Water, lield by Colonel Kimball with 
the Fourteenth Indiana, and the Summit post, Kimbairs head- 
quarters. On the morning of the 12th, Colonel Kimball found 
that Captain Coons was invested on a ridge near the pass by a 
Lirgc^ body of Confederates. Hurrying up with the Fourteenth 
Indiana. and a liandful of dragoons, Kimball routed these and 
released Coons. At the same time another body of Confederate 
troops on the front and flank of Kimball's position, near tlie 
Cheat River, were utterly routed, and fled in disorder. About 
5,000 Confederates under General Anderson, of Tennessee, were 
thus foiled in their attempt on the Summit post by something 
like six lumdred Federals. General Lee, on the failure of this 
scheme, withdrew from Cheat Mountain, and reached Meadow 
Bluff on the 20th of September to join Floyd. General II. R. 
Jackson had been left to watch Reynolds, with a few thousand 
men, on the Greenbriar River. Lee then concentrated the 
forces of Floyd and Wise with his own, and assuming chief 
command, strengthened the works on Big Bethel Mountain. 

On October 2d, Reynolds made an attack on Jackson's in- 
trenched camp on the Stanton pike, and a sharp engagement, 
lasting seven hours, inflicted severe loss on the Confederates, 
about two hundred of them being killed in the trenches. The 
Federals, however, were repulsed with the loss of ten killed 
and t hirty-two wounded. 

The troubles in the Confederate camp between Wise and 
Floyd led to the recall of the former, and Lee was soon after- 
wards sent to take charge of the South Carolina and Georgia 
coasts, his failure to strike Rosecrans liaving bitterly disap- 
pointed the Confederate authorities. Floyd was thus left in 
sole command, and during October he erected batteries . on the 
left bank of the New River, near its junction with the Gauley, 
thus commanding the road to Rosecrans' camp. On the 12th of 
November a vigorous and successful attack was made for the 
purpose of dislodging him. General Schenck and Major Leeper 



184 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

were to have struck Floyd's front and rear at the same time, 
but a flood cut off Schenck, and Leeper with the First Kentucky 
achieved the victory by a bold dash on the front near the mouth 
of the Gauley. Floyd fled with such precipitation that he 
eluded General Benham, who had crossed below the mouth of 
New Eiver to intercept him. With headlong haste he pushed 
on through Fayetteville and Raleigh till he reached Peterston, 
some fifty miles south of his abandoned position. In his flight 
Floyd threw away ammunition, camp equipage and tents. 
General Benham closely pressed him as far as Raleigh, some 
thirty miles down the valley. This decisive stroke left Rose- 
crans in clear possession of the Kanawha Valley, and broke the 
Confederate grasp, for the time at least, in Western Virginia. 
The finishing blow was given by Brigadier-General Robert H. 
Milroy, who first attacked Colonel Edward Johnston, of Geor- 
gia, who had been left by Jackson to hold the Alleghany 
Summit. This engagement on the 12th of December was a 
stubborn affair, the fortunes of the day wavering in the balance 
for some hours. The attempt to capture the battery command- 
ing the Staunton pike failed, however, and the Federals retired 
in good order. The loss in killed and wounded amounted to 
about two hundred on each side. Toward the end of Decem- 
ber Milroy sent an expedition under Major Webster, of the 
Twenty-fifth Ohio Regiment, to break up a Confederate post at 
Huntersville, about fifty miles distant. This was accomplished 
after a heavy march through deep snow, the Confederates were 
scattered, the military stores destroyed and the jail wrecked. 
This ended military operations in this section for that year. 
<lr We must now turn to the movements of General McClellan, 
whom we left organizing the Army of the Potomac, and which 
by the middle of October consisted of some 75,000 men, in splen- 
did condition, ready for the field. Every department had been 
thoroughly organized and the defense of Wasliington City had 
been elaborately completed, extensive earthworks and a num- 
ber of strong forts having been constructed. The main body 
of the army was close to the city, with outposts as far down the 
Potomac as Liverpool Point and away up the river to Williams- 
port, above Harper's Ferry. 



THE CONFEDERATES CLOSE THE POTOMAC. 185 

The Confederates meanwhile had not been idle. General 
Johnston was within six miles of Washington City, at Munson's 
Hill, having advanced from Centrevillo and Fairfax Court 
House. Batteries had been planted on Matthias' Point and 
others wei'c erected below Occoquan Creek, cutting off commu- 
nication by water with the Cajntal. This blockade was very 
irritating and divers plans were formulated for breaking it up, 
but divided counsels upset every project, and before the month 
of October the Potomac was closed as aii avenue of approach 
to Washmgtou. 

During the month of August there were several skirmishes 
between the outposts of the two armies, and on the 12tliof Sep- 
tember a sharp engagement was had between a Federal recon- 
noitering party and some Virginia cavalry under Colonel J. E. 
B. Stuart. The Federals, however, came out of this with but 
little loss. On the 15th of September Colonel John W. Geary's 
pickets, at Djrnestown, Maryland, were attacked by Virginia 
troops who had crossed tlie Potomac. Soon afterward Lewins- 
viUe, Vienna and Fairfax Court House were occupied by the Fed- 
erals. The Confederates had evacuated Munson's Hill some three 
weeks before, and its formidable-looking batteries of " Quaker 
guns," i. e., painted logs and stove-pipes, became as much 
objects of amusement as they had been for nearly two months 
previously objects of dread by the troops facing them. 

A sharp encounter between the troops under Colonel Geary 
and a large body of Confederates occurred on tlxe 5th of October 
for the possession of Bolivar Heights, but the enemy w^ere thor- 
oughly routed and driven up the valley some six miles to 
Charlestown. 

The most important, and at the same time disastrous affair 
occurred on the 21st of October, being t he battle of Ball's Bluff. 
An unconfinned report of the evacuation of Leesburg by the 
Confederates induced McClellan to order a reconnoissance in 
force and he sent General I\IcCaU to occupy Dranesville, a 
jjoint midway between Leesburg and the Chain Bridge. General 
Banks having repeated the rumor on the strength of a dispatch 
from Sugar Loaf signal station, McClellan instructed Briga- 
dier General Charles P. Stone, comniandinr?^ an army of ol)ser- 



186 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

vation between Conrad's and Edwards' Ferries, to feel for the 
Confederate left under General N. G. Evans, advising him also 
of McCall's movements. Stone made a feint at each of the two 
ferries, General Gorman operating at Edwards' Ferry and 
Colonels Lee and Cogswell attending to the movement at C!on- 
rad's Ferry. Colonel Devens went in flat boats with his com- 
mand to Harrison's Island. A reserve force of about 3,000, 
including the First California, commanded by Colonel E. D. 
Baker, Senator from Oregon, was held in readiness should the 
enemy force fighting. McCall's movements had been closely 
watched by the Confederates and they sent out a scouting party 
which General Gorman managed to disperse. Devens sent out 
a scouting party under Ca ptain Philbrick towards Leesburg, by 
way of Ball's Bluff, and lie reported a small camp in sight. 
Stone then ordered Devens to cross from Harrison's Island at 
dawn on the 21st and take the alleged camp. Colonel Lee mean- 
time occupying the island. When the advance was made the 
camp could not be found and Devens halted within a mile of 
Leesburg. Colonel Baker with the reserve was ordered to move 
on Conrad's Ferry, from which point another feint was to be 
made to ward off attention to the movement of Devens. Mc- 
Clellan had not intended anything beyond a demonstration, and 
supposing this to be understood by General Stone, had ordered 
McCall to fall back from Dranesville, but of this Stone was igno- 
rant. The Confederates had not been deceived by these feints 
but had kept a close watch upon Devens, and about noon on 
the 21st Colonels Jenifer andHunton, with infantry and cavalry 
fell on his front and left in an open field. Colonel Baker, find- 
ing that Devens was attacked by a superior force, hurried to his 
aid. Devens had fallen back on Colonel Lee and was stubbornly 
facing his foe. Transportation was difficult, and Baker, finding 
the battle waxing hot, crossed the river in a skiff, left his artillery 
to come on and pushed forward to join Devens. Colonel Cogs- 
well's Tammany Regiment and a couple of howitzers under 
Lieutenant French had already come up when Baker reached 
the field and assumed command. Expecting the aid of McCall, 
a line of battle was formed in the open field. Evans quickly 
accepted the challenge and attacked the front and left flank 



BATTLE AT DRANESVILLE. 187 

with great fury. Then it was found that the woods which sur- 
rounded the field on three sides were absolutely alive with men. 
The battle began soon after three o'clock in tlic afternoon, and 
by five o'clock Colonel Baker fell riddled with bullets. Colonel 
Cogswell took command and ordered a movement to the left, in 
order to cut through the enemy to Edwards' Ferry. At this 
moment a Confederate officer rode to the head of the Tammany 
Regiment and gave the order to " Charge," the trick succeeded, 
the men dashed forward with the Fifteenth Massachusetts only 
to find themselves exposed to a galling fire along the whole 
line. The day was lost and Cogswell ordered an immediate 
retreat to Harrison's Island. The scene which follows beggars 
description — the Confederates pressed in upon the disorganized 
mass and at the point of the bayonet forced them down the 
bluff to the banks of the turbulent river. The only boat there 
was speedily sunk and swimming the river was the only means 
of escape. Colonels Cogswell and Lee were taken prisoners, 
together with between four and five hundred of their men. 
Colonel Devens swam the river on horseback. The men who 
essayed to cross were either i)icked off by the Confederates or 
swept away by the current. The loss in killed was 223 and 26G 
were wounded. The Confederate loss was about 350 killed and 
wounded. The entire Federal force did not exceed 1,900 while 
that of the Confederates was fully 4,000. 

All this time General Stone had been within easy reach with 
7,000 men, but had relied on the co-operation of McCall, who, as 
we have seen, was nowhere near. 

The news of the disaster came on him like a thunder clap and 
he hastily made arrangements to cover the retreat of Gorman's 
Brigade, whom he had sent to Edwards' Ferry. In the course 
of the night General Banks relieved him of his command and 
orders came from McClellan to hold the island and the Virginia 
shore till reinforcements could arrive. 

This disaster roused public indignation and the blame was 
liberally showered upon all those in command. The House of 
Representatives, representing popular feeling demanded an in- 
vestigation, but McClellan opposed this as likely to affect the 
service injuriously. He maintained that Stone was free from 



188 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

blame and this threw the weight of public indignation on the 
General-in-Chief. 

The sequel of the matter was the arrest of General Stone on 
February 8th, 1862, and his incarceration for six months in Fort 
Lafayette without a trial. His release, as unceremonious as his 
arre t, may be taken to indicate that he suffered unjustly. 

McClellan's first orders for liolding the Virginia shore proved 
that even then he had not been fully informed of the condition 
of affairs, and when on the 23d of October he arrived at Pooles- 
ville he countermanded all orders for an advance and withdrew 
the entire force to the Maryland side of the river. 

Their success at Ball's Bluff and the falling back of McCall 
vastly encouraged the Confederates. They again occupied 
Dranesville and, pushing their pickets forward to the verge of 
the Federal lines, ravaged the surrounding country. 

McCall getting tired of this, obtained McClellan's permission 
to attack Dranesville, where the Confederate reserve was quar- 
tered. Accordingly Brigadier General E. O. C. Ord with about 
4,000 men was intrusted with the expedition to Dranesville on 
the 20th of December, and was supported by Brigadier General 
Reynolds. About two miles out of Dranesville General J. E. B. 
Stuart with some 2,500 men came up from Centre ville and a 
hot engagement followed. The Confederates, flushed by recent 
successes, were over-confident and had this time undertaken too 
big a contract. They were utterly routed with the loss of 43 killed 
and 143 wounded. The Federal loss was 7 killed and 61 wounded. 
McCall did not attempt to hold the position but fell back to his 
encampment, taking with him twenty-two wagon loads of corn 
and sixteen of hay. Although this spirited affair somewhat 
moderated the public annoyance over recent events, j-et there 
was much murmuring at the general inaction of so large a body 
of troops, now amounting to some 200,000 men, while the Con- 
federate force surrounding the capital was understood to be 
not much more than one fourth of that number. 

We must again shift the scenes and turn our attention to 
naval operations on the coast of North Carolina and on the 
Gulf of Mexico. 



CHAPTER XV. 

NAVAIi MOVEMENTS— AN INCIDENT OF TO-DAY— FATE OF THE HARRIET I^NE— 
ENOAaEMENTS AROUND HATTERAS— THE AFFAIR OF SANTA ROSA ISLAND- 
BOMBARDMENT OF PENSACOLA— THE EXPEDITION TO PORT ROYAL— CAPTURE 
OF FORTS WALKER AND BEAUREGARD— THE CONFEDERATES DKIVEN FROM THE 
SOUTH CAROLINA COAST— ATTEMPTED BLOCKADE OF CHARLESTON HARBOR. 

We have noted the capture of Forts Hatteras and Clark, at 
Hatteras Inlet, on the 29th of August, and their subsequent oc- 
cupation, under the advice of General B. F. Butler, by Colonel 
Hawkins, of the Ninth New York Zouaves, and will now tra.cc 
the operations along tlio coast which grew out of this capture. 

Just here we must interpolate an incident which at this writ- 
ing (June, 1884) is reported by cable from London in the follow- 
ing words: " Bark Elliot Ritchie, Captain Perkins, from Bruns- 
wick, March 22, for Buenos Ayres, has been abandoned at sea, 
water-logged, and crew landed at Pernambuco." The reader 
wdl naturally ask, " What has that to do with the Civil War ?" 
In reply we shall connect this cablegram directly with the 
events under notice. The vessel in question was once the 
smart revenue cutter Harriet Lane, converted into a cruiser 
at the beginning of the war, and was one of the craft most 
prominent in the engagement off the Hatteras forts. Origi- 
nally named after Miss Harriet Lane, a niece of President 
Buchanan, this cruiser was captured off Galveston by General 
John B. Magruder about the last of December, 18G3, having 
been run into by the Confederate steamer Bayou City, after a 
sharp engagement. Captain Semmes, of the Alabama, after- 
ward took the Harriet Lane to Havana, where she was turned 
into a sailing vessel and re-chrit-tened the Elliot Ritchie. Thus 
we justify the introduction of this despatch, and link the 
events of the war with the commercial records of to-day. 

Colonel Hawkins having been reinforced by the Twentieth In- 
diana Regiment, under Colonel Brown, planned the closing up 
of Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds, and thus gaining the com- 



190 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

raand of the North Carolina coast. The Susquehayma and the 
tug Fanny, with a portion of the Naval Brigade under Lieuten- 
ant J. T. Maxwell, disabled the deserted Forts Ocracoke and 
Morgan, on Beacon Island, and then Colonel Brown, with the 
Twentieth Indiana, started for Chicomico-comico to check the 
Confederate operations on Roanoke Island. This expedition, how 
ever, was a sad failure, for on the 1st of October the Fanny, 
with stores, intrenching tools and equipage, was captured, and 
three days later six Confederate steamers landed two thousand 
troops above and below Brown's position. In the enforced re- 
treat to Hatteras about fifty of the Indianians were taken pris- 
oners. The Confederates, however, did not attempt to push 
their advantage, but retired to Roanoke Island. 

Although the Navy Yard at Pensacola, Fla., had been sur- 
rendered to the State authorities in January, Fort Pickens, 
on Santa Rosa Island, had remained in Federal possession, and 
had been garrisoned in April by Colonel Harvey Brown, after 
Lieutenant Slemmer had been relieved. Later in the Summer, 
the New York Sixth, Wilson's Zouaves, established a camp on 
the island close to the fort. No serious engagements had oc- 
curred, although sharp skirmishes had happened, until early in 
September, when a couple of night expeditions inflicted con- 
siderable damage on the Confederates in the Navy Yard. This 
provoked reprisals, and on the ninth of October some four- 
teen hundred men, under Generals Ruggles and Anderson, 
landed on Santa Rosa Island, on which Fort Pickens stands, 
and in three columns marched upon the Zouaves' camp. 
Colonel WilUam Wilson being an object of intense hatred to 
the Floridians, the intent was not only to break up his camp, 
but, if possible, to capture him. The expedition was well 
planned and the surprise was complete. The pickets were 
driven in and the Zouaves forced from their camp, which was 
fired by the insurgents. Wilson's men, infuriate at the insults 
which the invaders heaped upon their Colonel, fought every 
inch of the retreat until they were reinforced by four com- 
panies from the fort under Majors Arnold and Vogdes. This 
turned the tide of battle, the Confederates were soon in full 
retreat to their launches, but in such confusion that many 



EXPEDITION TO PORT ROYAL. 191 

of them fell beneath the bullets of their comrades. Their total 
loss was about 150. In the confusion of the retreat Major 
Vogdes was made prisoner and carried off by the retreating 
Confederates. The total Federal loss was about sixty-four. 

Following this, in November, Colonel Brown, assisted by the 
blockading squadron, Niagara, Richmond and Montgomery, 
bombarded the Confederate works and silenced Forts Mc- 
Ree and Barrancas, the two principal forts which defended 
the Navy Yard, and which, together with a number of smaller 
batteries, were held by General Braxton Bragg with some 
seven thousand men. Besides silencing the forts the heavy, 
continuous fire of the squadron and Fort Pickens laid the 
greater j^art of the Navy Yard and adjacent villages in ashes. 

Towards the end of October more important operations were 
in progress on the South Carolina coast. A fleet of fifty war 
vessels and transports under Captain S. F. Dupont had been 
collected in Hampton Roads, and a land force of 15,000 men 
under Brigadier-General W. T. Sherman had been assembled at 
Annapolis, Maryland. At dawn, on the 29th of October, this 
formidable armament put to sea, but its destination was as 
impenetrable a mystery to the loyalists of the North as it was to 
the alarmed Confederates. Not only had the secret been well 
kept, but all the contingencies of such an expedition had been 
provided for by the astute Secretary of the iNavy. Each vessel 
carried sealed orders, only to be opened at a certain point, or 
under peculiar and adverse circumstances. The wisdom of this 
precaution became evident when, after passing in safety the 
turbulent Cape Hatteras, a fearful storm scattered the fleet 
during the night of November 1st. 

At dawn next morning the Wabash, which had led the expe- 
dition, was alone in the angry waters. An inspection of the 
sealed orders disclosed the plan of the expedition, a rendezvous 
off Port Royal ; thither the Wabash steered her course, and on 
the 4th came to anchor. Mary of the other vessels now came 
up, only four transports having been actually lost. In passing 
Charleston Harbor, Dupont had called off the Susquehanna, 
engaged in blockade duty. Along that ugly coast, however, the 
Confederates had destroyed all buoys, beacons and other aids to 



192 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAB. 

navigation, but fortunately there were those on board the fleet 
who were efficient pilots, and the channel entrance was soon 
located. There were other obstacles to be encountered in the 
sha}ie of formidable works thrown U]) by the Confederates. On 
the south side of the entrance, near Hilton Head, was Fort 
Walker, and opposite, at Bay Point, was Fort Beauregard. 
There was also a small flotilla of eight armed steamers under 
Commodore Josiah Tatnall, but a few shots sent this incompe- 
tent individual in search of x)ersonal safety. 

On the 5tli Dupout made a reconnoisance, and early on the 
7th the Federal fleet got under way. Shortly after 9 o'clock 
the engagement commenced, the two forts bemg attacked si- 
multaneousl}^, the Wabash and the Susquehannaheingnot more 
than from six to eight hundred yards from the works. At first 
the fire was briskly returned and the vessels suffered consid- 
erable damage, the Wabash in particular being badly cut up. 
The battle plan had been admirably arranged, the ships, one 
after the other, getting the range of the forts and shelling them 
for about twenty minutes at each turn. After four hours of 
this severe cannonading Fort Walker was silenced, and shortly 
afterwaiu the firing from Fort Beauregard closed also. Both 
had been hastily abandoned and were strewn with dead and 
dying. The flagstaff of Fort Walker had been shot away early 
in the action, but from that of Fort Beauregard still floated the 
Confederate flag. To the halliards of this was attached an in- 
fernal machine, but it fortunately failed to carry out its devil- 
ish purpose. 

The land force under Sherman had remained on the trans- 
ports during the operations of the fleet. They were now landed, 
but the enemy had cleared out. From Fort Walker General 
T. F. Drayton had taken his men, on the run, across Hilton 
Head Island to Seabrook, whence they took passage for Savan- 
nah. From Fort Beauregard Captain Stephen Elliott got across 
to Port Royal Island and thence reached the Charleston and Sa- 
vannah Railroad on the mainland. The Federal loss was eight 
killed and twenty-three wounded and tha,t of the Confederates 
about fifty killed and wounded. 

Fort Walker was occupied c^:. .he evening of the 7th and the 



DUPONT AND SHERMAN'S EXPEDITION. 193 

Stars and Stripes once more floated over South Carolina soil. 
General Horatio G. Wright, with his brigade, established head- 
quarters here, and the following morning General Isaac I. 
Stevens, with the Seventy-ninth New York and the Eighth 
Michigan Regiments, occupied Fort Beauregard. 

The blow to the Confederate cause was so disheartening that 
General Eipley, commanding the seacoast district, fell back to 
the mainland and advised the abandonment of the entire 
section. 

General Sherman at once began to fortify Hilton Head, and 
took possession of the city of Beaufort, all the white inhabitants 
having fled. A large quantity of arms and ammunition also fell 
into the Federal hands. Meanwhile, Dupont sent exploring 
parties along the coast and took possession of the islands. He 
then occupied Big Tybee Island at the mouth of the Savannah 
River, effectually precluding blockade-running. On the last 
day of the year a land force, under Brigadier-General Stevens, 
and a naval force, under Commander Rogers, dislodged Gen- 
erals Gregg and Pope with a Confederate force of some 8,000 
men from Port Royal Ferry, after a sharp encounter, and thus 
the whole of this region was again brought under Federal 
control. 

Meantime, an attempt was made to close up Charleston 
Harbor by sinking several old vessels laden with stone on the 
b ir, but the operation was a failure, though the attempt was 
made a pretext for an appeal by the Confederates to the sympa- 
thies of Europe. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

TEE CLOSE OF 1861 — PERMANENT CONGRESS OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES- 
CABINET CHANGES— SPECIMEN OP JUDAH P. BENJAMIN'S CONSISTENCY- 
PRIVATEERING— THE TRENT AFFAIR— CAPTURE OF MASON AND SLIDELL— 
DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENCE— THE PRISONERS RELEASED. 

Having thus noted, in as full detail as our space will permit, 
the principal warlike movements, military and naval, of the 
year 1861, we will hastily glance at other current events so as 
to close the record of the first year of the war. 

We have incidentally mentioned the meeting of the Provi- 
sional Congress of the Confederate States at Montgomery in 
May, and the removal of the seat of government subsequently 
to Richmond, Va., wliere, on July 20th, the Third session was 
begun. We have also noted the message by which Jefferson 
Davis sought to reply to that of President Lincoln. In the 
course of this session an act was passed for the banishment 
from the limits of the Confederate States of every masculine 
citizen of the United States, except citizens of Delaware, Mary- 
land, Kentucky, Missouri, the Territories of New Mexico, Ari- 
zona, the District of Columbia, and of Indian Terriory south of 
Kansas. The act j)rovided for the arrest as " alien enemies " 
of all such as remained over forty days after its passage, and 
also for the confiscation of all property belonging to such " alien 
enemies." The Confederate President was by other enactments 
authorized to call for four hundred thousand volunteers, in ad- 
dition to the existing force, to serve for not less than twelve 
months nor more than three years ; also to send additional 
commissioners to Europe, and he was further invested with 
discretionary powers to inflict retaliation upon prisoners of war. 
By a reorganization of the Cabinet.. R. M. T. Hunter, of Vir- 
ginia, was made Secretary of State ; Judah P. Benjamin was 
transferred from the position of Attorney-General to that of 
Secretary of War, and ex-Governor Thomas Bragg assumed 
the portfolio relinquished by Benjamin. 



CONFEDERATE CONGRESSIONAL MATTERS. 195 

[As we write we are reminded of the death of Judah P. Ben- 
jamin, in France, two weeks since, and it is a somewhat signifi- 
cant circumstance that prior to his deatli he had destroyed all 
his private papers. Had they been preserved, it is just pos- 
sible that they would have cast a lurid light on some other per- 
sonal records.] 

As a rebellion War Secretary Benjamin was probably a suc- 
cess, for a lime. At any rate, he saliently illustrated the incon- 
sistencies of the Secession theories. We have noted how, 
immediately after the Baltimore riots, an era of bridge-burning 
and general devastation was inaugurated by the Secessionists, 
yet, when in November, 1861, some loyalist; Tennessee citizens 
were arrested and charged with being accessories to certain 
military operations in which bridges were burned to cut off 
communication with Virginia, Benjamin wrote to Colonel 
Wood, at Knoxville, in regard to the prisoners, as follows : "All 
such as can be identified in having been engaged in bridge - 
burning, are to be tried summarily by drum-head court martial, 
and, if found guilty, executed on the spot by hanging. It 
would be well to leave their bodies hanging in the vicinity of 
the burned bridges." Such ferocity is hardly in keeping with 
the protests sent to European Courts against the " barbarous 
warfare " which sought to destroy Charleston Harbor by sink- 
ing the Stone fleet on the bar. However, the Confederate con- 
sistency was never strikingly developed. 

The "Provisional" Congress reassembled at Richmond on the 
18th of November, and when its time ran out on the 18th of 
February, 1862, it was immediately succeeded by a Congress 
under the Permanent Constitution of the Confederate States, 
in which Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, 
Mississipi^i, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas 
and Virginia were represented. Thomas S. Bocock, of Virginia, 
was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives. Jeffer- 
son Davis was then unanimously elected President for six 
years (without even the saving clause, "or so long as the Con- 
federacy shall last"). Other Cabinet changes were made, 
Judah P. Benjamin, of Louisiana, becoming Secretary of State ; 
George W. Randolph, of Virginia, Secretary of War; S. R. 



196 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

Malloiy, of Florida, Secretary of the Navy : C. G. Memminger. 
of South Carolina, Secretary of the Treasury ; and Thomas 
H. Watts, of Alabama, Attorney -General. The proceedings 
of this Congress we may take occasion to make note of 
later on. 

The authority which had been given Davis to issue letters- 
of -marque had been anticipated by him long before the forms 
of the alleged government had legalized it, and one of thb first 
vessels which commenced privateering was the Sumter, com- 
manded by Captain Raphael Semmes. She was a packet 
steamer, but heavily armed and carrying a crew of sixty-five 
seamen and twenty-five marines. Running the blockade of the 
Mississippi River, on the 30th of June, 1861, she began her oper- 
ations on the American mercantile marine among the We'=!t In- 
dia Islands and on the Spanish main, and it was while search- 
ing for her that Captain Charles Wilkes, of the United States 
steam sloop San Jacinto, performed the act Avhich, while it 
obtained for him the enthusiastic admiration of the loyalists, 
very nearly precipitated a war between the United States and 
Great Britain. This was the capture of Commissioners Mason 
and Slidell, on board the British mail steamer Trent. 

The circumstances of this affair deserve more than mere 
mention. We have noted that immediately after the Seces- 
sion ordinance of Alabama and the resultant assembling of 
the Conference at Montgomery, certain commissioners were 
sent abroad to the various governments of Europe. These 
men, hastily selected, were unequal to the work cut out .for 
them, and consequently, under the provisions of the Third ses- 
sion of the Provisional Congress, other and shrewder men were 
appointed with ambassadorial powers. Two of these were, 
first, James Murray Mason, formerly a Virginia Senator, and 
the man who in April had declared that all Virginians who 
refused to vote for Secession, should be compelled to leave the 
State if they would save their lives, and second, John Slidell, 
who, when withdrawing from the National Senate with Judah 
P. Benjamin, as Senators from Louisiana, made an insolent 
speech, in which he threatened the United States with war, and 
declared that its mercantile marine would be compelled either 



THE MASON AND SLIDELL AFFAIR. 197 

to sail under foreign flags or to rot at the wharves. Mason was 
accredited to Great Britain and Slidell to France. But getting 
into such offices and getting out of America were affairs of 
very different calibre. Tlie Southern ports were closely block- 
aded, and outside of the Confederate lines on land neither of 
these men dared venture. At length, during the wet, dark 
night of October 12th, they slipped out of Charleston 
Harbor on the steamer Theodore and successfully ran the 
blockade. It was not a dignified proceeding on the part of high 
diplomatic functionaries, but expediency may be charitably 
pleaded for them. Slidell had with him his wife and four 
children, besides his secretary, Eustis; Mason had his secretary, 
McFarland, only. Reaching Havana, they embarked on the 7th 
of November for St. Thomas by the British mail steamer Trent. 
From St. Thomas they proposed to take the packet line to 
Southampton. Ca^Jtain Wilkes, as we have remarked, was on 
a still hunt for the Sumter, and putting in at Havana became 
cognizant of the departure and plans of the Confederate Com- 
missioners. He decided to intercept the Trent and arrest them 
and their secretaries. About midday on the 8th of November 
he sighted the Trent in the Bahama Channel and signaled her 
to heave to. Mail steamers do not, however, stop to pick up 
transient guests, and consequently the Trent steamed ahead. 
As a gentle hint, Wilkes sent a shell across her path and Cap- 
tain Moir concluded he might as well be interviewed by the 
Yankee. A couple of boats, with a force of marines, under 
Lieutenant D. M. Fairfax, were soon alongside. The errand 
being explained. Captain Moir declined to afford any informa- 
tion as to his passengers. Fairfax called on his marines, under 
Lieutenant Greer, and the matter began to assume a serious 
aspect. To end the controversy, Mason and Slidell came for- 
ward, but protested against arrest. This was, of course, un- 
availing, and Fairfax used technical force, by putting his hand 
on the shoulder of Mason, who then went quickly to the boat. 
Slidell was more obstinate, but a file of marines put an end to 
his resistance. The two secretaries philosophically followed the 
fortunes of their superiors, though one of them, Eustis, hud to 
leave his wife in the company of Slidell's family. Captain 



Ids HISTORY OF THE dIViL WA^. 

Wilkes took liis prisoners to New York, whence they were sent 
to Fort Warren, on George's Island, Boston Harbor. 

While Wilkes was receiving public ovations, and the thanks 
not only of the Secretary of the Navy, but also of Congress, the 
press and the public of Great Britain were furious in their 
denunciations of the alleged outrage. 

The British Government, under the spur of popular indigna- 
tion, made a great show of warlike preparations, and the sensa- 
tional section of the press flamed with appeals to the latent 
prejudices of the people. On the other hand, Abraham Lincoln, 
never cooler than when in the midst of the excitement of 
others, kept a level head and controlled his Cabinet. 

Meanwhile a distorted version of the affair had been com- 
municated to the British Government, and Lord John Eussell, 
Foreign Secretary, instructed tlie British Ambassador at 
Washington, Lord Lyons, to demand the restoration of the 
prisoners to the protection of the British flag, and a suitable 
apology for the aggressions which had been committed. 

When this demand was communicated to the Government at 
Washington, the masterly policy of Lincoln dictated that while 
the prisoners should be given up, yet Great Britain should be 
placed in an equivocal position by demonstrating that the 
"right of search" which that government had so autocratically 
insisted on was an indecent, infamous and preposterous claim. 
We need not follow cut the diplomatic wrangle which ensued, 
but terminate this narrative by stating that after Secretary 
Seward, in an able and exhaustive resume of the subject, had 
shown all these bearings, he concluded by saying : " If I de- 
cide this case in favor of my own Government, I must disallow 
its most cherished principles, and reverse and forever abandon 
its essential policy. The country cannot afford the sacrifice. 
If I maintain these principles and adhere to that policy, I must 
surrender the case itself. It will be seen, therefore, that this 
Government could not deny the justice of the claims pre- 
sented to us in this respect upon its merits. We are asked to 
do to the British nation just what we have always insisted all 
nations ought to doimtous." He further intimated that the 
individuals were of Httle or no consequence anyhow, and with 



THE MASON AND SLIDELL AFFAIR 199 

covert sarcasm reminded the British Minister of some little 
affairs in the past which were about as palatable as Dead Sea 
apples, just at that time. He then announced that the prisoners 
would be cheerfully liberated and placed at the disposal of Lord 
Lyons. 

In accordance with this, the British gun boat Rinaldo was 
ordered to Provincetown, Massachusetts, and Mason, Slidell, 
Eustis and McFarland were escorted on board on the 1st of 
January, 1862. 

The result of this matter, while proving that it does " make 
a great difference whose ox is gored," really satisfied nobody 
but the President and Cabinet of the United States. They had 
vindicated a great principle in a diginfied way. The hot heads 
among the Northerners fumed over what they considered truck- 
ling to British arrogance; the scheming Southerners saw their 
hopes of a war, which must have inured to their advantage, 
blown to the winds, and the high and mighty Ambassadors 
themselves found they were, personally, very much like "a chip 
in porridge, " of no account anyhow. 

We can here close our record of the troublous, eventful year 
1861. 



CHAPTER XVTI. 

CONDITION OF AFFAIRS IN JANUARY, 1862 — KXERTIONS OF THE SECESSIONISTS 
IN KENTUCKY — THE FORCES AT BOWLING GREEN— GARFIELd'S VICTORY AT 
PRESTONBURG— THE BATTLE OF MILL SPRING— DEATH OF ZOLLICOFFER— 
THE EURNSIDE AND GOLDSBOROUGH EXPEDITIONS— CAPTURE OF ROANOKE 
ISLAND— OTHER NORTH CAROLINA VICTORIES. 

At the opening of the New Year, 1862, Congress, which met 
December 2d, 1861, was engaged in the consideration of questions 
relating to Slavery, the stormy debates incident to the '' Trent 
affair " having subsided. The thin end of the wedge, which, 
when subsequently driven home by the Emancipation Procla- 
mation, lifted forever a great stigma from this nation, had been 
introduced in the shape of bills, which subsequently became 
enactments, one providing for the confiscation of rebel prop- 
erty and for giving freedom to those held in slavery hj such 
persons, and another which made it a penal offense for any one 
in the naval or military service of the United States to capture 
and return fugitive slaves. As, however, these were merely 
preliminary measures, we will not do more than mention them 
here. 

We will turn to affairs in Kentucky, where a section of the 
people, on November 20th, 1861, had assumed to represent the 
entire State, and after adopting a Secession ordinance and the 
usual buncombe Declaration of Independence, organized a Pro- 
visional Government, with George W. Johnson, of Scott 
County, as Governor, and Bowling Green as the seat of govern- 
ment. On December 16th the formalities preceding admission 
to the Confederate Congress were completed, and representa- 
tives of the ' ' Legislative Council of Ten " were sworn in. 
Prior to this a vigorous effort had been made by the National 
Government to encourage the latent loyalty of the mass of 
Kentuck}^ citizens, ex-Governor Morehead, accused of treason, 
had been arrested in Louisville and confined in Fort Lafayette, 
New York. His chief offense, and a grave one, had been the 



GARFIELD'S GALLANTRY AT PRESTONBURG. 201 

aiding of Captain Simon B. Buckner, of the National service, 
in recruiting from the State guard for the Confederate service, 
though he failed in a scheme to secure an appropriation of 
$3,000,000 from the State Legislature for the purpose of sending 
these recruits armed and equipped to Jefferson Davis. Tiiis 
arrest scared the Secession clique in Kentucky, and they scat- 
tered for safety. Ex- Vice-President John C. Breckinridge, ex- 
Congressman Humphrey Marshall, became Brigadier-Generals 
in the Confederate army, and Captain John Morgan became the 
guerrilla commander, whose daring dashes and hairbreadth 
escapes will be the theme for stories of adventure for gener- 
ations. Captain Buckner, compelled to throw off the mask, 
had also become a Confederate general, and was for a time 
with General Johnston at Bowling Green, until superseded by 
General Hardee. 

The Federal forces under General Buell had been well organ- 
ized at Louisville, and in the latter part of December General 
Alexander D. McCook, with some 40,000 men, had pushed to- 
ward Bowling Green, and after a skirmish driven Terry's 
Texas Rangers back on that position. 

Early in January, General Humphrey Marshall, with 25,000 
men, had encamped near the Big Sandy River, near Paints- 
ville, on the Kentucky and Virginia boundaries. To dislodge 
him the Fourteenth Kentucky and the Forty-second Ohio in- 
fantry, with a few hundred Virginia cavalry, were sent under 
command of James A. Garfield — then only a Colonel, but subse- 
quently a Brigadier-General, and still later our second Presi- 
dential martyr. 

It was bitter weather thus early in Januaiy, but Garfield 
pushed on, and Marshall, who knew the resistless, quiet energy 
of the young Ohioan, moved hastily up the river. Garfield 
eent his Virginia cavalry in hot haste after him, and on the 
7th of January they struck him heavily at Jennis' Creek. On 
the 10th, Colonel Garfield came upon Marshall's forces, some 
2,500 strong, with three cannon, a few miles above Prestonburg. 
Marshall's position was well chosen on a small eminence, but 
Garfield, with only some 1,100 men, attacked him with such im- 
petuosity that before the afternoon closed a fight of about 



203 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

three hours had driven him from his position. Reinforcements 
about 700 strong coming up, Garfield was enabled to make the 
battle of Prestonburg a thorough rout, capturing several pris- 
oners, some stores and horses. The Federal loss was but two 
killed and a few wounded, while Marshall lost sixty killed be- 
sides those wounded and taken prisoners. The gallantry of 
this affair earned for Garfield a commission as Brigadier-Gen- 
eral. 

During the same month a sharp engagement took place at 
Mill Spring, Pulaski County, on the Cumberland River. Near 
here, at Beech Grove, ex-Congressman General Felix K. Zolli- 
coffer, of Tennessee, had late in 1861 formed an intrenched camp 
and had considerably extended his works. On the 6th of Janu- 
ary Major- General George B. Crittenden assumed command and 
began to make himself conspicuous, as usual. In the force 
under General Buell was his brother, Brigadier-General Thomas 
L. Crittenden. Buell's force at that time numbered about 
114,000 men, with seventeen batteries of artillery. The division 
commanders were Brigadier Generals George H. Thomas, 
Ormsby M. Mitchell, Thomas L. Crittenden and Alexander 
McDowell McCook. The bluster of the Confederate Crittenden 
speedily drew attention to him, and General Thomas' division 
was instructed to operate against his works. Assigning a por- 
tion of his command to General Schoepf , Thomas moved for- 
ward and on the 17th was at Logan's Cross Roads, ten miles 
from Beech Creek. In the meantime Crittenden had ordered 
Zollicoffer forward to j^revent, if jjossible, the junction of 
Thomas and Schoepf, f eehng satisfied that his defensive works 
were unable to resist a combined attack. On the evening of the 
18th Zollicoffer's advance came upon the cavalry pickets of 
Thomas' column, and as arranged these retired, the Confeder- 
ates following them ui3. On Sunday morning, the 19th of Jan- 
uary, General Thomas, after a hasty reconnoisance, ordered 
the advance of the Tennessee brigade and made other disposi- 
tions for immediate battle. The firing opened about daybreak 
and for some hours tlie fortunes of the day were about evenly 
balanced, but in the contest for an important strategic position 
Zollicoffer was killed at the head of his column. This began to 



BATTLE OF MILL SPRING. 



203 



turn the tide, for Crittenden, who assumed ZoUicoffer's posi- 
tion, was more capable of issuing buncombe proclamations than 
he was of giving- battle orders. After another two hours of 
sharp fighting the bayonets of the Ninth Ohio turned the Con- 
federate flank, and Crittenden made a hasty retreat toward 
Beech Grove. By nightfall the Federals were in possession of 
Moulden's Hill, which commanded the Confederate camp. 
During the night General Schoepf and other reinforcements 
came up. Before daybreak, however, the entire Confederate 
force had evacuated their intrenchments and crossing the river 
had scattered in all 
directions, leaving 
everything behind 
them as booty for the 
victorious Federals. 
Besides ZolHcoffer, 
General Peyton was 
killed in this engage- 
ment. The total Con- 
federate loss was 192 

killed, 63 wounded 

and 89 taken pris- 
oners. The Union 

loss was 39 killed and 

203 w^ounded. The 

captures in the works 

includeci 8 cannon, 

1,000 stand of arms, 1,700 horses and mules, a drove of cattle, 

100 wagons, quartermasters' stores, camp equipage, intrenching 

tools. 

Crittenden made his way to Gainesborough in direct com- 
munication with Nashville, but the Confederate line in Kentucky 
was hopelessly broken and the rebuff was keenlv felt. In the 
North the victory was justly appreciated, and a general order, 
by command of the Pi-esidenfc, complimented the trooDS on their 
brilliant achievement. 

Perceiving the exigency of the situation General Beauregard 
was hastily ordered up from Manassas, for the Confederates 




".(ft^iMJ-J ^jJ^ 



A HAND-LITTKR. 



204 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

evidently hoped, by keeping up vigorous action in this section, 
to prevent the tide of war rolling southward. 

While these operations were in progress another expedition 
had been organized at Annax3olis and Hampton Roads, the 
land forces at the former place being under command of General 
Ambrose Everett Burnside, and the naval armament at the 
latter point, consisting of thirty-one gunboats and a number of 
tugs, transports, etc., being under the orders of Flag Officer 
Louis M. Goldsborough, of the North Atlantic Naval Station. 
On the 11th of January the combined expedition put to sea, its 
destination being Pamlico Sound, though this was only known 
to those in command. On the night of the 12th, before Hat- 
teras Inlet was reached, a severe storm was encountered, and 
Cape Hatteras scored another of its dreary records. Fortu- 
nately no lives were lost, but several of the transports, etc., with 
a large quantity of supplies, went down beneath the gale. The 
delay thus created enabled the Confederates to advance prepara- 
tion of their defenses on Roanoake Island and on Roanoake and 
Croatan Sounds. These consisted of heavy batteries on Roanoke 
Island commanding the Sound, and similar w orks on the main- 
land commanding Croatan Sound. There was also an 
intrenched camp and a redoubt near the middle of the island. 
Obstructions had also been placed in the channels, and a flotilla 
of eight small gunboats, under Lieutenant W. F. Lynch. Colonel 
H. M. Shaw, in the absence of Brigadier-General Wise, com- 
manded the Confederate land forces. 

The Federal military force numbered about 11,500 men and 
was fully equiped with a heavy battery adapted for land and 
naval service. These were divided into three brigades. The 
effects of the storm prevented the concentration of the fleet 
until the beginning of February, but on the 5th Golds- 
borough felt justified in commencing operations. The 
fleet had been divided into two sections under Coromanders 
Stephen C. Rowan and S. F. Hazard. On the 6th the leading 
division under Rowan was in Croatan Sound six miles below 
Roanoke. On the 7th at about 10 a. m. the advance commenced, 
and an hour later the bombardment of Fort Barton was begun, 
an attempt by Lynch's flotilla to participate was speedily checked 



CAPTURE OP ROANOKE ISLAND. 205 

and Fort Barton was soon after reduced to a heap of burning 
ruins. While this engagement between the fleet and the shore 
batteries was in progress, the transports came up with the land 
force. Attempts to prevent the landing at Ashby's Harbor 
were made by the Confederates but by midnight Generals John 
G. Foster, John G. Park and Jesse L. Reno had landed their 
respective brigades, amounting to about 11,000 men. It was a 
difficult task, as the shelving shore compelled the men to wade 
from the boats and the swampy marshes presented no cover. 
The men were, however, in splendid spirits, and in the early 
morning light Foster, closely followed by Reno and 
Park, with a howitzer battery of six guns, pushed 
on and drove in the enemy's pickets. A stubborn fight 
was made, but the constant coming up of reinforcements 
told heavily on the Confederates, who bravely held their 
ground until Major E. A. Kimball, of Hawkins' Zouaves, 
sought and obtained permission to charge on the works. The 
word had hardly been given when the whole battalion dashed 
forward with exultant shouts, their gleaming bayonets striking 
terror into the Confederate troops. Colonel Hawkins joined in 
the exciting dash, and the Zouaves swept all before them just 
as the Fifty-first New York and the Twenty-first Massachu- 
setts stormed the Confederates out of their position on the 
right. The success was complete ; the uninjured battery was 
left with only the dead and dying within the works. Foster 
and Reno, reforming their brigades, pressed after the fugitives. 
The former captured about 2,000 men of Colonel Shaw's com- 
mand, and the latter about 800 of Colonel Jordan's men. No 
terms of capitulation would be listened to, and the bitter dose 
of unconditional surrender was the medicine of the flushed 
and exultant victors. General Foster then sent a force to 
occupy the ruins of Fort Barton, and before sunset the Stars 
and Stripes floating over the fort proclaimed the completeness 
of the victory. Colonel Hawkins had meantime intercepted 
some Confederate fugitives, about 200 in number, headed by 
Captain O. J. Wise, son of the Brigadier-General. In all the 
Confederate prisoners were between two and three thousand. 
Despite the sharp fighting the actual casualties had been small 



206 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

on the Confederate side, their loss being 5 killed and 18 
wounded. The Union loss was 212 wounded and 50 killed, 
among the latter being Lieutenant-Colonel Monteuil, shot 
through the head during the gallant charge of Hawkins' 
Zouaves, and Colonel Charles S. Russell. By the victory 40 
guns, 3,000 small arms, a quantity of ammunition and other 
stores fell into Federal hands, there having been no time to 
spike guns or destroy property when the Zouave bayonets 
came bristling over the works. 

Captain Eowan overtook Lynch's flotilla on the Pasquotank 
Eiver, where Lynch had taken refuge beneath the guns of a 
shore battery below Elizabeth River. Rowan made a simulta- 
neous attack on flotilla and battery ; the former was speedily 
silenced, and the vessels were run aground and burned. 

Rowan first took possession of Eden ton, near the western end 
of Albemarle Sound, then sunk obstructions in the Chesapeake 
and Albemarle Canal, and finally destroyed Plymouth on the 
Roanoke, and partly demolished Wintou on the Chowan River. 
The approach of the Federal troops was everywhere the signal 
for precipitate retreat on the part of the armed Confederates, 
while the less partisan citizens were anxious to do ail in their 
power to terminate hostilities. 

A conciliatory proclamation issued by the Federal com- 
manders was met by an inflammatory appeal by Governor 
Clark, but the moral and material effect of the recent victories 
had greater weight than all the incendiary literature that the 
desperate Confederate leaders could circulate. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

IMPORTANT MOVEMENTS ON THE CUMBERLAND AND TENNESSEE RIVERS — FOOTe'S 
FLOTILLA— CAPTURE OF FORTS HENRY AND DONELSON — EVACUATION OF COLUM- 
BUS — THE "GIBRALTAR OF THE WEST "—GENERAL GRANT'S BRILLIANT 
ACHIEVEMENTS- COWARDICE OF FLOYD AND PILLOW — THE NEW FORTIFICA- 
TIONS ON THE MISSISSIPPI — NEW MADRID AND ISLAND NUMBER TEN. 

The next important movements of combined military and 
naval forces were those of General U. S. Grant and Commodore 
Andrew H. Foote, against Fort Henry on the Tennessee River, 
and Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River. General Halleck, 




POOTE'S FLOTILLA. 



commanding the Department of the Missouri, found it expedi- 
ent to subdivide the enormous range of territory included in it, 
and toward the close of 1861 had extended the division assigned 
to General Grant until it covered all Southern Illinois, Ken- 
tucky west of the Cumberland River, and that portion of East- 
ern Missouri south of Cape Girardeau. For several months 
there had been in preparation at St. Louis and Cairo some novel 
urmored craft, composed of adapted river steamers and newly 



208 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

built vessels designed for river service, with the special views 
of attack on shore batteries and resistance of shot and shell from 
the forts attacked. By the beginning of February, Commodore 
Footc, irnited States Navy, had at his disposal twelve of these 
formidable vessels, of such light draft, despite their heavy 
armor, that they were capable of being operated in the compara- 
tively shallow waters of the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. 
" Foote's Flotilla," as it came to be called, was a decided novelty 
in marine constniction. Of great breadth of beam, to insure 
steadiness when cannonading, seven of these floating batteries 
had iron plates sloping upward and downward nt angles of 
forty-five degrees, and they were of triple strength at the bows. 
The design was to prevent any direct impact of shot or shell, by 
causing projectiles to glance either upward or into the water. 
The intent was, further, to keep them ''stem on" when attack- 
ing, so as to offer the least possible target for an enemy. These 
twelve vessels ciu-ried 126 guns in all, of calibres ranging from 
32-pounders to rifled 84-pouuders. A thirteen-inch caUbre mor- 
tar was also a ptu't of the armament of each. 

After reconnoisances to feel the strength of the enemy on the 
Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, General Grant obtained per- 
mission from Halleck to carry out the expeditions planned by 
him in conjunction with Foote. On the 2d of February, Foote, 
with foui* axmored and throe oiher vessels of his flotilla, moved 
from Cairo to the Tennessee River, and at daybreak on the 3d 
was a short distance below Fort Henry. The land forces, in 
transports, under convoy of the gunboats, consisting of McCler- 
nand's and Smith's divisions, debarked a few miles below the 
fort, and while sonu^ of the flotilla were seeking for torpedo ob- 
structions, others were shelling the woods to ascertain the 
enemy's outlying defenses. 

About noon on the Cth the gunboats oj>ened on Fort Henry, 
the intervening days having been occupied in disposing the 
land forces so as to sever communication between Forts Henry 
and Donelson. The fort vigorously returned the fire at the 
beginning of the assault, but the attack was so determined 
and the fire so well directed that in about an hour General 
Tilghman ran up a white flag and surrendered. It would have 



CAPTURE OF FORT DONELSON. 209 

been useless to offer fiirtlier resistance, for, although the land 
forces of the Federals had not arrived, the Confederates out- 
side the fort had beat a hasty retreat towards Fort Donelson, 
most of the gunners in the fort were wounded and nearly all 
the guns dismounted. General Tilghman and forty of his men 
were taken prisoners, but the otliers managed to elude the land 
troops and escape the observation of the gunboats as they fled 
along the upper road. In the mean time Smith's division had 
taken, without resistance, Fort Hieman, an unfinished work 
upon the hill overlooking Fort Henry. 

The loss of this important ]iosition was a great blow to the 
Confederates, and led to mucli wrangling among the leaders. 
In the North the victory which restored the flag of the Union 
to a distinguished position on the soil of Tennessee was hailed 
as a prestige of future success. 

General Grant now determined to attack Fort Donelson and 
dispatched Lieutenant-Commander Phelps on a reconnoisance 
with a part of the flotilla up the Tennessee River, while Foote 
retm-ned to Cairo to prepare mortar boats for the new exi>edi- 
tion. Phelps made a successful run as far as Florence, Alabama, 
seizing and destroying Confederate property along tho route. 
On liis return his report made it clear that not only could the 
capture of the fort be accomplished, but that there was a wide- 
spread Union sentitnent among the non-combatant citizens. 

Fort Donelson was built on a higli river bank, about a mile 
below Dover, in Stewart County, Tennessee. Two powerful 
shore batteries at the foot of the hill were so arranged that 
their guns commanded the turn of the river just below. Field- 
works, intrenchments and rifle pits guarded the rear of the 
fort, and a small creek lent additional protection. Some 
twenty thousand men had been massed here by orders of Gen- 
eral Johnston, who knew its importance with reference to the 
safety of Nashville and Bowling Green. General Gideon J. 
Pillow had been placed in command of Fort Donelson, but was 
superseded a few days later by General John B. Floyd, and 
and General Simon B. Buckner had also been sent from Bowl- 
ing Green with some sixteen thousand men of Johnston's divis- 
ion as reinforcements, till, as we have stated, the combined 



210 HISTORY OP THE CIVIL WAR. 

Confederate force at this point was about twenty thousand 
men. 

Meanwhile General Grant had completed liis plans and sent 
forward Generals McClernand and Smith, with fifteen thousand 
men and an advance cavalry force. While these divisions 
were marching across the country to the rear of the fort, the 
flotilla under Foote was coming along the Cumberland River, 
together with the transports bearing the troops to form the 
third division. On the morning of February 13th the First 
Division, under Colonels Oglesby and Wallace, drove in the 
Confederate pickets and assumed the positions assigned them, 
viz. : McClernand's division on the right and Smith's division on 
the left. The Confederate land batteries were speedily at work, 
and during the early part of the day a desultory engagement 
was kept up, but no general attack was made, as Grant, who 
had taken up his headquarters near the head of Hickman's 
Creek, determined to await the arrival of the gunboats and 
Wallace's Third Division. Towards mid-day McClernand 
ordered a dash on the middle redoubt, separating the Confeder- 
ate right wing from the centre. The Seventeenth, Forty- 
eighth and Forty-ninth Illinois went at the works with vigor, 
but, failing to envelop them, the Forty-fifth Illinois went to 
their support on the right. The attack, however, failed, and 
the Federals fell back with considerable loss. The night 
which followed was a bitter trial, for the temperature fell to 
within ten degrees of zero and a severe sleet and snow 
storm prevailed. By noon on the 14th the garrison from Fort 
Henry, which had been sent for by Grant, arrived and the gun- 
boats and transports also came up. General Wallace was 
placed ui command of the Third Division, which had debarked 
three miles below the fort, and then General Grant completed 
his investment of the entire works from the land side. A few 
hours later the flotilla under Foote began the attack, but the 
heavy shore batteries played sad havoc with it. After endur- 
ing the iron hail for over an hour Foote was obliged to retire, 
with the loss of fifty-four killed and wounded and several of the 
vessels seriously damaged. Foote at once returned to Cairo to 
repair damages and superintend the completion of the mortar 



SORTIE OF THE GARRISON. 



211 



boats* which he had previously put underway. During his 
absence General Grant made arrangements to shut off all com- 
munication, and thus starve out the Confederates. This was 
quickly appreciated by the besieged, and a grand sortie was 
decided on as the only hope of deliverance, before the gunboats 
should return to the attack. This scheme was put in operation 
at 5 o'clock on the morning of the 15th, some ten thousand men 
under Generals Pillow and Bushrod R. Johnston making an 
impetuous attack on the right (McClernand's Division). So sud- 
den aqd furious was 
the attack that Ogles- 
by's Brigade on the 
extreme right at 
length gave way, ex- 
cept the Thirty-first 
Illinois, under Colonel 
John A. Logan. This, 
fonning the extreme 
left of the First Divi- 
sion, maintained its 
position, but the con- 
stant pouring forward 
of fresh Confederate 
troops soon placed 
the whole of the line 
in peril. McClernand 
called on General 

"Wallace, of the Third Division, for assistance, but the absence 
of General Grant caused delay. A more imperative demand 
from McClernand induced Wal lace to assume the responsibility 







A MORTAR BOAT. 



* These mortar boats were a special outgrowth of the inventive spirit of 
the period. On a broad, flat, bar^e-like float sloping walls of heavy timber, 
forming a six-sided inclosure, were built. These were iron-plated. The slope 
was inward, at an angle of about 45 degrees, thus preventing direct impact 
of the enemy's shot. One heavy mortar, a magazine below water-line and 
shelter tents comprised the entire equipment of these peculiai* but effective 
naval nondescripts.. The annexed engraving gives a clear idea of their con- 
struction. 



212 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

of ordering the brigade of Colonel Cruft to support the right, 
and this changed the programme on this wing. At this time, 
in accordance with the Confederate scheme, General Buckner 
fell heavily on the left centre, and for a few moments it 
seemed as if absolute confusion must result. General Wallace 
saw the peril of the position, and he threw his brigade between 
tlie retiring Federals and the advancing foe ; rapidly fomied a 
new line of battle with the Chicago Artillery in the centre, 
supported by the First Nebraska, Fifty-eighth and Thirty- 
second Illinois and Fifty -eighth Ohio. He also ordered up 
ammunition, McClernand's troops having exhausted theirs. 
A reserve force of the Forty-sixth and Fifty-seventh Illinois 
was lield in readiness. This disposition had hardly been com- 
pleted when the Con federates under Buckner and Pillow dashed 
furiously upon the centre. The charge was nobly met and the 
Confederates, after a brief struggle, fell back in considerable 
confusion to their trenches about noon. Later in the afternoon, 
while Grant was hesitating about following up this success, a 
chance remark in reference to the possibility of a Confederate 
escape to ClarksviUe, over the ground M'hich McClernand had 
yielded, suggested a further plan of action. This was to retake 
McClernand's old position and at the same time attack the Con- 
federate right. Both these operations were successfully carried 
out, and by nightfall the Confederates had been driven from 
their intrenchments, over which the Stars and Stripes were 
speedily floating. 

The Confederate commanders, finding that all hope, even of 
escape, was gone, held a hasty council and decided to capitu- 
late. Floyd and Pillow, terror stricken, resigned their com- 
mands to Buckner, who placed himself in communication with 
Grant. In the meantime, during the night Floyd and Pillow 
ignominiously escaped, leaving the troops to their fate. On 
Sunday morning, February 16, a white flag floated over the 
fort, and Grant, finding that Wallace had full possession of 
Dover, refused to make any terms with Buckner, but de- 
manded "unconditional and immediate surrender." There 
was no help for it, and Buckner, deserted by his cowardly com- 
panions in arms, was compelled to yield. About fourteen 



SURRENDER OF NASHVILLE. 



218 



thousand prisoiiei's, a largo number of cannon, muskets, horses 
and military stores were thus surr(?ndered to the victorious 
Federals. The loss of the Union troops was 331 killed, 1,046 
wounded and 150 missing. The Confederate loss in killed and 
wounded was about the same. 

The moral and material elTect of this crushing defeat was 
terrible on the Confederate troops, and the indignation of the 
leaders at Richmond was unbounded. Davis ordered that 
Floyd and Pillow should be relieved of their commimds at once, 
pentiing investigation, and all the elforts of Johnston to obtain 
a mitigation of this censure were unavailing. 

In tiie North, the victory at Fort Donelson was rapturously 
received, and in army circles, its full importance bemg 
thoroughly appreciated, plans were at once laid for pressing on 
to reap its fruits. 

General Mitchell, of Buell's command, moved upon Bowlmg 
Green, from his camp at Bacon's Creek, near MumfordsviUe, 
but although he made a forced march of 32 hours, it was not 
quick enough to come up with Johnston, who had precipitately 
fled southward, with some seven thousand of his men, after 
destroying all that he could in Bowling Green. As a conse- 
quence, when Mitchell took possession of the position there was 
but a small amount of commissary stores and one gun left as 
spoils. The imporrance of this occupation, however, was 
enhanced by the panic at Nashville. Governor Harris and his 
Legislature fled from that city to Memphis, after gathering up 
alUhe state papers they could find, and a general exodus of the 
disloyal citizens was inaugurated. 

On Sunday evening, February 23, Colonel Kenner, of the 
Fourth Ohio Cavalry, Mitchell's Division, entered Nashville and 
calmed the apprehensions of the citizens. On the 25th, General 
Buell reached the camp at Edgefield, opposite Nashville, where 
his advance had pitched tents, and there, on the following 
morning. Mayor R. B. Cheatham, and a delegation of Nash- 
ville citizens, formally tendered the submission of the city. 
Meantime, Commodore Foote had sent the St. Louis up the 
Cumberland River, and destroyed the Bessemer Iron Works, 
which had been actively employed in the Confederate service. 



214 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

On the 19th, Foote, with the gunboats Cairo and Conestoga, 
went up the river to Clarkesville to attack a partly-completed 
fort at the mouth of the Red Eiver. Here, again, all was 
panic. The garrison fled, burning the railway bridge behind 
them. The forfc was taken possession of by Colonel Webster, 
Grant's Chief of Staff, and Foote went on to the city. Finding 
none but loyal and terrified citizens there, he issued a pacific 
proclamation, but warned the citizens against any display of 
Secession symbols . General Smith, with the advance of Grant's 
army, then came up and took command, while Foote returned 
to Cairo. Tennessee being now relieved from the incubus of 
the rebel Governor Harris, it was decided to appoint a mili- 
tary governor and put the State under martial law. In pur* 
suance of this purpose, Andrew Johnson, then a loyal United 
States Senator from that State, was so appointed, with the rank 
of Brigadier-General, on March 4. 

In the meantime General Polk had been preparing for the 
evacuation of Columbus, known as the "Gibraltar of the 
West, " it being evident that the position was no longer tenable. 
Accordingly, under instructions from Beauregard, the sick and 
wounded were removed from the city toward the close of Feb- 
ruary, and on the 2d of March, after firing the military build- 
ings, from which the stores had been removed to Jackson, 
Tennessee, Polk and his staff quitted the post. The troops had 
been previously sent off, some by steamer to New Madrid and 
others by land to Union City, Tennessee. Unaware of this 
evacuation, Foote, with a flotilla of six gunboats, four mortar- 
boats and three transports, the latter conveying about 2,000 
troops under Brigadier-General W. T. Sherman, moved from 
Cairo early on the morning on the 4th of March. On reaching 
Columbus the Union flag was seen floating over the Confederate 
works. Deeming this to be a trick, preparations were made for 
immediate attack. A loyalist on shore declared that the troops 
had fled, but still caution was necessary, for the " Union flag 
trick" had been too frequently played by the wily Confederates. 
Colonel Buford and some of the Tvt^enty-seventh Illinois were 
landed, and then it was found that a scouting party of the 
Second Illinois Cavalry, sent out the previous night from Sher- 



THE GIBRALTAR OF THE WEST. 215 

man's command at Paducah, had found the works evacuated 
and had hoisted the Stars and Stripes. Thus, on the cvenmg 
of the 4th of March, General Hal leek was enabled to telegraph 
to General McClellan that Columbus had been occupied and 
Kentucky was free. The evacuation had been hasty and a 
large quantity of stores had been left behind, but a train had 
been laid for the explosion of the magazine. This was fortu- 
nately discovered and the disaster prevented. 

By Beauregard's orders Polk had selected a defensive position 
below Columbus, and had thrown up works on the mainland in 
Madrid Bend and New Madrid, and had strongly fortified 
" Island Number Ten," 40 miles below Columbus in the Missis- 
sippi. New Madrid, 10 miles below this, had strong military 
works, including Fort Thompson. There was also a flotilla of 
six gunboats, and as the position was at a sharp bend of the 
river, it was considered the key of the lower Mississippi. Leav- 
ing Polk at this point we will turn to events in other directions. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

INACTION OF THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC— LINCOLN'S ANNOYANCE — M'cLELLAN'S 
OBSTINACY— A GENERAL MOVEMENT ORDERED ADVANCE OP M'CLELLAN ON 
YORKTOWN— SIEGE OPERATIONS BEGUN— THE MERRIMACK, OR VIRGINIA, AND 
THE MONITOR— THE UNIQUE NAVAL COMBAT IN HAMPTON ROADS. 

While these vigorous movements were in progress in Tennes- 
see and Kentucky, the Army of the Potomac, though reciTiited 
up to a high standard, had remained inactive. Edwin M. Stan- 
ton had succeeded Simon Cameron as Secretary of War on Jan- 
uary 13th, but still th3 mysterious McClellan neither moved nor 
gave his reasons. In vain the President urged some action, not 
alone from his own convictions of the necessity for it, but partly 
in deference to the mutterings of the people. The General-in- 
Chief was neither to be coaxed nor bullied ; he very plainly in- 
timated that the less civilians had to do with the military dis- 
positions the better. In fact, the conduct of McClellan about 
this time appeared to indicate that he considered civility and 
civilians alike repugnant to army discipline. President Lin- 
coln, however, was determined that sometliing must be done, 
and he called Generals McDowell and Franklin to his aid, inti- 
mating that if McClellan would not use the army, somebody 
else should borrow and employ it. After several conferences 
during which an immediate advance upon Manassas was recom- 
mended, a meeting was arranged between the President, the 
Cabinet, the General-in-Chief, Generals McDowell and Frank- 
lin, with the intention of reaching some decision. Instead of 
sharing in the discussion, McClellan sulked, and still refused to 
give direct answers to the various questions put to him. This 
meeting was on the 13th of January. At length McClellan re- 
luctantly blurted out that movements in Kentucky must pre- 
cede any others. While this appeared unsatisfactory then, the 
events of the next few months, as we have shown in the pre- 
ceding chapter, fully justified McClellan's anticipations in that 
quarter. The President, however, insisted on some disclosure of 



m'clellan's obstinacy. 217 

,t the plans for the employment of the Army of the Potomac. As 
a naatter of course this demand had to bo met, and McClellan 
shortly afterward submitted a plan for moving upon Richmond 
bj' way of the lower Chesapeake. This involved greater delay 
than accorded with the President's views, and with his cus- 
tomary decision, when the breaking point of his patience had 
been reached, he took the bull by the horns as Commander-in- 
Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and issued 
" General War Order No. 1," on the 27th of January, in which 
he ordered a general movement of the laud and naval forces of 
the United States against the insurgents, to begin on February 
22d. In order that there might be no mistake about the posi- 
tion he had taken up, he intimated that the Secretaries of War 
and the Navy, the Gentral-in -Chief and all subordinates would 
be held to a strict accountability for prompt obedience. On the 
31st of January the President issued a special order to McClel- 
lan, instructing him to form the Army of the Potomac, after 
providing for the defense of Washington, into an expedition to 
seize and occupy a point on the railroad southwest of Manassas 
Junction, McClellan remonstrated, and finally President Lin- 
coln, though very unwilling to yield a point, consented to refer 
his own and General McClellan's plans to a council of twelve 
officers. This council, composed of Generals Fitz John Porter, 
Franklin, W. F. Smith, McCall, Blenker, Andrew^ Porter, 
Naglee, Keyes, McDowell, Sumner, Heintzelman and Barnard, 
met at headquarters on the 27th of February, and after careful 
consideration, the eight first-named Generals approved McClel- 
lan's plan, the minority of four holding to the President's views. 
As usual the President yielded to the question of ballots, even 
where bullets were concerned, for he was ever as consistent as 
he was stubborn. The War Department at once issued orders 
for transports, and on the 8th of March the President, in Gen- 
eral Order No. 2, directed the division of the Army of the 
Potomac into four corps, under Generals Keyes, Sumner, 
Heintzelman and McDowell respectively. It is not a hi tie sig- 
nificant that these were the four generals who voted against 
McClellan's plans and in favor of Lincoln's, but, of course, the 
President may have been swayed by other and quite different 



318 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

considerations. That he still doubted the wisdom of McClel- 
lan's views was shown by another order, in which it was pro- 
vided that not more than 50,000 tioops should be moved on the 
proposed expedition until the Potomac should be cleared of 
obstructions, and further that a competent force should be left 
to guard Washington. He also directed, peremptorily, that 
the new movement on Chesapeake Bay should begin not later 
than March 18th. 

While these arrangements were being made by the Federal 
forces, the Confederates had not been idle. Johnston had for 
weeks been secretly removing his stores and munitions from 
Manassas and Centreville, and on the 9th of March his troops 
suddenly abandoned both of those positions and fell back slowly 
on Richmond. They did not quit the immediate locality for 
some days, but lingered around Warrenton Junction. 

As soon as this retrograde movement came to the knowledge 
of McClellan, he ordered an advance of the entire army on the 
abandoned posts. The advance crossed the Potomac and occu- 
pied Centreville on the 10th, and General Stoneman, with a 
cavalry force, was sent to harry the retreat. Tbe movement, 
however, was not followed up, and after a reconnoissance in 
force toward the Rappahannock, McClellan ordered the main 
body of the army back to Alexandria. Stoneman 's cavalry also 
retired, and the Confederates, after a halt at the Rappahannock, 
encamped beyond the Rapidan. 

The futility of this movement convinced the President that 
McClellan had quite as much as he could manage in directing 
the field movements. He therefore issued an order on the 11th 
of March, relieving McClellan of all the military departments ex- 
cept the Department of the Potomac. Halleck was assigned to 
the command in the Valley of the Mississippi, and Fremont 
was given command of the ' ' Mountain Department " (a new 
creation), comprising the region between the Mississippi and 
the Potomac ; the order further directed all reports to be made 
directly to Secretary of War Stanton. 

General McClellan now decided that his plans must be modi- 
fied, and called a council of war at Fairfax Court House. Here 
it was decided to go down the Chesapeake, debark at Fortress 



OPERATIONS AT YORKTOWN. 219 

Monroe, and from thence press on to Richmond. The President 
approved this, on condition that Washington was properly pro- 
tected and Manassas Junction held by a competent force. 

Preparations for the new movement were pushed on, and 
troops were raj^idly forwarded to Fortress Monroe. McClellan 
left Washington on April 1st, and on reaching the Fortress 
found 58,000 men and 100 cannon already there. 

In the meantime. General J. B. Magruder had been busy also ; 
he had about 11,000 Confederate troops on the Virginia penin- 
sula between the James and York rivers, and had strongly for- 
tified his headquarters at Yorktown. The concentration at 
Fortress Monroe of McClellan's troops compelled Magruder to 
change his tactics somewhat. He placed garrisons at Yorktown, 
at Gloucester Point and on Mulberry Island, on the James River, 
and distributed his remaining force, about five thousand men, 
along a line of thirteen miles of earthworks. 

McClellan, estimating the opposing force at far greater num- 
bers, moved forward very cautiously, but he was impressed with 
the necessity for an attack on Magruder before Johnston could 
reinforce him. He divided his command into two columns ; 
one led by General Heintzelman, on the right, moved along the 
old Yorktown road ; this comprised the divisions of Generals 
Fitz John Porter and Hamilton, of the Third Corps, and Sedg- 
wick's divison of the Second Corps. The other column, led by 
General Keyes, consisted of the divisions of Generals Couch 
and W. F. Smith, of the Fourth Corps. The advance was begun 
on April 3d, and on the following day the right column was at Big 
Bethel, McClellan being with this column. At the same time the 
left column reached Warwick Court House. Oo. the afternoon 
of April 5th each column had reached Magruder's fortified lines, 
the right being near Yorktown, on the York River, and the left 
bemg at Winn's Mill, on the Warwick River. Further advance 
being checked, McClellan began a regular siege, the intrenching 
works being placed in charge of General Fitz John Porter. This 
work engaged the army, which was constantly being augmented, 
for one entire month. Here we will leave them for the present, 
and note the movements of the other divisions of the Army of 
the Potomac and the memorable engagement between the Mcr- 



330 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

rimack and the Monitor, which was one of the events which led 
to McClellan's change of plans. 

In describing the destruction of the vessels in the Gosport 
Navy Yard in April, 1861, by Captain Paulding, we mentioned 
that the Merrimack had been burned to her copper line and 
sunk, and that she had been subsequently raised when the rebels 
got possession of the place. In the early part of 1863 Captain 
Marston, commanding the United States squadron in Hampton 
Koads, became acquainted with the fact that this vessel had 
been reconstructed into some kind of a marine monster, and 
that the Confederates were chuckling over a projected expedi- 
tion against Newport News, in which this novel craft was to 
play a prominent part. About the beginning of March it was 
learned that preparations were complete, and on the 8th of 
March the Virginia, as the Confederates called her, hove in 
sight of the squadron from the Elizabeth River, The destruc- 
tive genius of John M. Brooke, ex-lieutenant United States 
Navy, had utilized old iron rails and heavy oak timbers. These 
formed a sort of conical roof, rising almost directly from the 
water line, and presenting the appearance of a submarine house. 
The timbers were twenty eight inches thick, and outside this 
came six inches of iron rails, bars and plates. A ram of oak 
and "iron, thirty-three feet long, projected from a heavy false 
bow. Her armament consisted of stem and stern guns capable 
of throwing one-hundred-pound solid shot, and four rif^f>d can- 
non, eighty-pounders, projected from each side, half-vva>' up 
the sloping roof. Below water line were two powerful en- 
gines, and the furnaces were also arranged for the production 
of red-hot shot ; another apparatus was designed for the dis- 
charge of huge streams of boiling water. A more utterly de- 
moniac, uncouth, ruthless floating battery had never been cre- 
ated. The Federal vessels nearest the approaching monster 
were the sloop Cumberland and the frigate Congress. These 
were lying off Newport News, at the mouth of the James River. 
With grim determination the Virginia went straight at the 
Cumberland, taking no more heed of the iron hail which Lieu- 
tenant George M. Morris poured upon his assailant than if it 
had been ocean spray. One blow of that formidable ram opened 



DESTRUCTIVE WORK OF THE VIRGINIA. 321 

a gap in the side of the Cumberland and let in an avalanche of 
water ; simultaneously her heavy guns poured in their fire at 
close quarters. Lieutenant Morris fought his ship ^vith des- 
perate pluck, but she was filling fast, and was evidently about 
to sink. Morris told his men to leap overboard, and, with a 
parting shot, took to the billows. The Cumberland went down 
in fifty-four feet of water, with the dead and wounded and sev- 
eral of the crew who were entangled in the wreck. Of 376 men 
on board, 140 were missing. A couple of gunboats which ac- 
companied the Virginia had in the meantime attacked the Con- 
gress. Lieutenant Joseph B. Smith handled his assailants vig- 
orously until the fate of the Cumberland warned liim to seek 
shelter, and he ran his ship aground under the guns of Newport 
News. The Virginia now began to pay attention to the Con- 
gress, and soon set her on fire, and Lieutenant Pendergast, who 
had taken command after Smith was wounded, hoisted a white 
flag and surrendered. In the meantime the steam frigate Min- 
nesota had come up, the Roanoke (flagship) being at Fortress 
Monroe with disabled machinery. The Minnesota ran aground, 
and while in this condition Captain Van Brunt gallantly met 
the attack of the Virginia and the two gunboats, damaging the 
latter so seriously that they hauled off for Norfolk. During the 
night the Virginia returned, and with red-hot shot set fire to 
the stranded Congress. The work of destruction was completed 
when her magazine exploded. Over two hundred of her crew 
were killed or missing. 

But inventive genius had been at work for the Federals also, 
for about the time the Merrimack had been converted into the 
Virginia, Captain John Ericsson had produced the Monitor at 
Greenpoint, Long Island. This remarkable production con- 
sisted of aflat-bottom float, 124 feet long and 34 feet wide on the 
water surface, with a superstructure projecting about three and 
a half feet at the sides and twenty feet at each end beyond the 
actual hull ; this upper shell was five feet high, while the depth 
in the water of the floating portion was six and a half feet. In 
the centre was a round, revolving turret twenty feet in diame- 
ter and ten feet high. The hull was pointed at eac^" end, and 
the projecting upper works not only covered the propelling and 



222 



HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 



steering gear, but rendered perforation below the water line 
almost impossible. Built of three-inch iron, it floated like a 
cork. The upper portion was constructed of oak, thirty inches 
thick, covered by six-inch iron armor. Tlie turret, made of eight 
thicknesses of one-inch iron plate, was connected, for revolving 
purposes, with the propelling engine. It contained two heavy 
guns moving on slides, so as to run out to the port holes. The 
upper deck was bombproof, as was also tlie turret roof, through 
which was the only entrance, by a sliding hatch. The smoke- 
stack, by a telescope arrangement, could be lowered out of 




L. 



itidasi 



ENQAGKMKNT BETWEEN THE MONITOR AND MERRIMACK. 



harm's way when necessary. Vague reports of the strange craft 
had been circulated, and its coming was eagerly looked for in 
Hampton Roads, where the Virginia had spread terror on every 
side. About midnight on Saturday it came in sight, towed by 
the Seth Low. By two o'clock on Sunday morning its com- 
mander. Lieutenant John L. Wordeu, United States Navy, was 
in conference with Captain Van Brunt, of the Minnesota, now 
helplessly aground. As had been expected, it was hardly day- 
light when the formidable Virginia and her satellite gunboats 
returned to the attack on the Minnesota ; but circumstances 
alter cases very frequently, and in this case the potent giant of 
the previous day found a pigmy monster prepared to change 



THE monitor's VICTORY. 223 

the record. The Monitor ran alongside the Virginia, and from 
her revolving tower poured a stream of heavy shot, which was 
answered b}'^ the terrible broadsides of the Confederate craft. 
Almost muzzle to muzzle the heavy guns were worked without 
any apparent effect. Then, like gladiators taking breath, the 
monsters separated, while, to continue the simile, each was 
looking for an advantage in the next grip. It mattered not in 
what position tlie Monitor was, her two guns were steadily 
pointing at and pounding the Virginia, which of course, on the 
other hand, was frequently unable to deliver a broadside. At 
length Captain Buclianan became convinced that he was losing 
time and wasting ammunition on the tormenting puzzle, so he 
again returned to the attack on the Minnesota. The broadsides 
of Van Brunt fell harmless, but the Virginia's terrible shells 
went entirely through the Minnesota and set her on fire. This 
unequal contest did not last long, for the vigorous littie Monitor 
slid in between the Virginia and Minnesota, and in turning to 
escape this attack the Virginia grounded. Before she could 
get off again the Minnesota had poured in a heavy broadside, 
probably with some effect, for the Virginia, getting afloat, made 
off for Norfolk, with theMonitor in hot pursuit. This continued 
attention irritated Buchanan, and turning about, he dashed at 
the Monitor with his powerful ram. He had met more than 
his match, however, for his prow slid over the 3Ionitor^s roof, 
and while in that position the turret guns sent a shot through 
the Virginia- s armor. A savage broadside answered this, and 
then another brief but violent combat ensued. The Virginia 
by this time had got enough for this round ; her ram was twisted, 
several of her steam and smoke pipes were shot through, her 
commander was severely, if not mortally wounded, and six of 
her crew had been killed. She made off for Norfolk with her 
attendant gunboats, in one of which six men had been killed. 
The Monitor did not follow her, but went on to Fortress Monroe, 
Lieutenant Worden having been injured by some splinters 
which for a time blinded him. This was the only injury of 
any account sustained on board the Monitor. Although the 
Federal loss during the two days was heavy — some four hun- 
dred men being killed, drowned or severely wounded — the 



224 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

frigates Congress and Cumberland and the tug Dragon sunk or 
destroyed, and the Minnesota badly damaged, yet it was felt 
that further peril at this point was averted. The Minnesota was 
floated early on Monday morning, and the dreaded Virginia (or 
Merrimack, as the Federals continued to call her) had been 
taught a lesson which was likely to inspire caution in the fu- 
ture. There was now hope, at least, that the James River might 
be freed from Confederate control, and in oflScial circles this 
was felt to be all important. It was this conviction that brought 
about the change m McClellan's plans, which we have already 
noted. 

In official circles and among the general public, the gaUantry 
of Worden and the genius of Ericsson were the themes of the 
hour this side the Atlantic, while all Europe was wondering 
what manner of men were these who could, on either side of 
the great controversy, rise to the needs of the hour with heroic 
sublimity and boundless fertility of expedient. 

Even to-day the words '^Monitor and Merrimack''^ awake 
lurid memories all over the civilized world. 



CHAPTER XX. 

THE CONFEDEKATES ABANDON NEW MADRID— SIEGE AND CAI>TURE OF ISLAND NUM- 
BER TEN— THE WONDERFUL C4.NAL CONSTRUCTION— GRANT MOVES ON CORINTH 
—THE TWO days' BATTLE OP SHILOH, OR PITTSBURG LANDING — THE CON- 
FEDERATES FINALLY DRIVEN BACK ON CORINTH— SIEGE OF CORINTH — BEAU- 
REGARD'S FLIGHT— OCCUPATION OF CORINTH BY THE FEDERALS. 

We have shown that when Columbus was abandoned by the 
Confederates, a position had been chosen at Madrid Bend, 
below, and strongly fortified. General Halleck had long been 
meditating a blow at New Madrid, and when that position and 
Island Number Ten were made rallying points, his attention 
was concentrated on the work of dislodging the enemy from 
both of these important posts. General Pope was charged with 
this work about the end of February, and he pushed on from 
St. Louis, encounteriiig M. Jeff. Thompson, whom he put to 
flight. Pressing onward over a heavy route, his main column 
reached the outskirts of New Madrid on the 8th of March, but 
the post had been so materially strengthened that additional 
siege guns were necessary. While awaiting the arrival of these 
from Cairo, he sent Colonel J. B. Plummer to plant a battery 
at Point Pleasant, ten miles below, so as to check the throwing 
in of supplies to Island Number Ten. Then on the 13th, having 
received his siege train, he opened fire on Fort Thompson and 
on Rollins' flotilla. The enemy replied with considerable 
spirit, but the Federal batteries were steadily pushed forward 
throughout the day, and at the same time General Paine was 
vigorously attacking the Confederate right. During the night 
Generals McCown, Stuart and Gantt, the Confederate com- 
manders in New Madrid, concluded that the position was no 
longer tenable, and they fled to Island Number Ten. The next 
morning the place was found to be abandoned, and Major- 
General Schuyler Hamilton sent Captain Mower to take posses- 
sion. On the 15th, Commodore Foote with a powerful flotilla 
arrived, and after reconnoitering Island Number Ten, decided 



226 



HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 



to begin the attack next morning. At daybreak the cannonade 
began, and a battery which had been landed on the Missouri 
shore also did good work in attacking Hollins' flotilla. The 
works, however, had been well planned, and were heavily 
equipped, and they withstood the siege for the best part of a 
month. In the meantime Pope was at New Madrid, unable to 
do more than command the river. He desired to attack 




CONSTRUCTING THE CANAL. 



the island in the rear, but was unable to cross the river 
in the face of the heavy batteries, and Foote could 
not be induced to run the gauntlet for the purpose of affording 
his troops transportation. At this juncture General Hamilton 
submitted a plan for the construction of a canal, from a bend 
of the Mississippi near Island Number Eight, through the 
swamp and lake, across the peninsula, so as to afford a passage- 
way for gunboats, transports, etc., thus to flank Island Num- 



RAPID CONSTRUCTION OF A CANAL. 227 

ber Ten. It should be noted that the islands on the Mississippi, 
from the mouth of the Ohio River downward, are numbered in 
rotation. Hamilton's j)l:Jn involved a stupendous undertaking, 
the intended channel being twelve miles in length through 
swamps, dense vegetation, tree stumj^s, some of these being six 
feet in girth, and masses of driftwood and fallen timber. Pope 
eagerly embraced the proposal, but after some conference it was 
arranged to modify the plans so as to provide for the passage of 
transports and barges only. The work was intrusted to 
Colonel Bissell, and in nineteen days this herculean engineering 
feat was accomplished. The giant stumps were sawed off four 
feet below the surface, while men on rafts and flats pushed 
aside the driftwood and fallen timber. Some light draft 
steamers and barges hauled out the debris. This work com- 
pleted, some floating batteries, barges and four steamers were 
brought through the canal on the 5th of April, and concealed in 
a bayou near New Madrid. The Confederates had been apprised 
of this work, but doubted the truth of the report. Foote, 
meantime, had not been idle, for on the night of April 1, five 
boats with picked crews from his flotilla, and forty men under 
Colonel Roberts of the Forty-second Illinois, had stormed 
Rucker's battery, one of the seven on the Kentucky shore, and 
spiked all the guns. Two nights afterward the CarondeZe^ ran 
by the Confederate forts and reached New Madrid, the expedi- 
tion having been planned by Captain Walke, who wrung a 
reluctant consent from Foote to go in response to Pope's 
repeated request. The next day Foote made such a vigorous 
attack on a huge floating battery that the Confederates were 
obliged to abandon it, and it floated down stream. It was now 
time for a decided blow, and on the morning of the 6th the 
Carondelet reconnoitered and found batteries on the Kentucky 
and Tennessee shores for about fifteen miles. After destroying 
one of these near Point Pleasant, the Carondelet returned. ". "t 
night another of Foote's boats, the Pittsburg, ran past the 
Confederate works, and next morning Captain Walke silenced 
the batteries at Watson's Landing, below Tiptonville. The 
coast was now clear for the use of the transports, etc., brought 
through the improvised canal, and at noon the troops began to 



228 HISTORY OF THE CIVni WAR. 

cross the river. The Confederates on Island Number Ten, con- 
vinced, when too late, of the success of the flaijkin^ movement, 
at once abandoned all hope of holding their position. Quitting 
the island in hot haste, they sunk their transports and other 
vessels in the stream to impede navigation, and started for 
Union City. Beauregard had left the island on the 4th with a 
large body of troops, turning over the command of the position 
to Generals McCall and McCown. While Foote was receiving 
the surrender of the island, General Pope had sent on troops to 
intercept the fugitives. This movement was also successful, 
and, driven into the swamps, the entire body of fugitives un- 
conditionally surrendered. There was but a small force on the 
island, for McCall had followed Beauregard's example, and 
made his way to the Tennessee shore. The entire number of 
prisoners, however, was 7,373, including three generals and 273 
officers. About seven thousand small arms, 123 cannon, a large 
quantity of ammunition, wagons, stores, etc., and four 
steamers, were also captured. This crushing defeat was keenly 
felt by the Confederates everywhere, while the glorious Federal 
victory not only spread joy throughout the North, but had a 
marked effect on the value of Government securities. 

We must now turn to events of equal importance in other 
directions occurring about the same time, and then, after 
describing the battle of Shiloli, or Pittsburg Landing, as it is 
sometimes called, considerations of space will compel us to pre- 
sent in a condensed form, save in a few of the more important 
engagements, a running summary of the military movements 
up to the close of 1862. 

We have seen that General Grant, after the fall of Fort Don- 
elson, had been jilaced in command of the new District of West 
Tennessee, embracing the territory from Cairo, between the 
Mississippi and Cumberland rivers, to the northern borders of 
the State of Mississippi. General Grant had made his head- 
quarters temporarily at Fort Henry, while preparing for the 
seizure of Corinth, Mississippi, at the intersection of the Charles- 
ton and Memphis and Mobile and Ohio railroads, when he was 
surprised by an order from General Halleck to turn over his 
command to General C. F. Smith, The real cause of this straoge 



MASSING FORCES ON THE TENNESSEE. 229 

order was never made quite clear, but it is surmised to have 
been caused by a distorted report of the conference between 
Grant and Buell at Nashville in the latter part of Febniary. 
Grant's indignant demand to be entirely relieved from duty, 
and the murmurs of the public, who had thus early begun 
to recognize Grant's splendid talents, brought about a reversal 
of the order, and after ten days' suspension General (xrant was 
restored to chief command. 

In the meantime General Smith, with about 30,000 troops, 
moved up the Tennessee on transports and landed at Savannah, 
the capital of Hardin County, Tennessee, on the lOtli of March. 
General Lewis Wallace was sent on 
to Purdy, between Humboldt and 
Corinth, to destroy the bridges, it 
being known that Beauregard was 
endeavoring to concentrate at Cor- 
inth . Wallace accomplished liis 
work and then remained at Crump's 
Landing to cover the river communi 
cations between Pittsburg Landing 
and Savannaii. General Sherman 

started for Tyler's Landing, further ^^^^^^ Mekong -house. 

up the river, but being hindered by 

floods, returned and took position near Shiloh Meeting-House, 
about two miles from the Tennessee River. This was a primitive 
log structure, belonging to Methodists, and giving its name to the 
country around. General Stephen A. Hurlbut took possession 
of Pittsburg Landing. Reserves were left at Nashville under 
command of General James S. Negley. On the 17tli of March 
General Grant arrived at Savannah and made his head(iuarters 
a few miles below Pittsburg Landing. Before he arrived Gen- 
eral Smith had posted the army with Snake Creek on its right 
and Lick Creek on its left. Thus matters remained until Sun- 
day morning, April 6, at which time Sherman's division was 
behind Shiloh Meeting-House, Prentiss' division across the 
road to Corinth and McClennand's behind his right. Hurlbut's 
and Smith's divisions were in the rear near Pittsburg, and 
Stuart's brigade was on the Harrisburg road near Lick Creek, 




230 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

Behind the army was the Tennessee River, but no preparation 
had been made to guard against an attack in front. 

The Confederates meanwhile had massed a force of some 
forty-five thousand men under Johnston and Beauregard, who 
had effected a junction on the 1st of April, and their line lay from 
Corinth south to Bethel and east to luka, on the two lines of 
railroad. 

General Buell was advancing toward Savannah, and he had 
sent General Ormsby M. Mitchell toward Huntsville, Alabama. 
His successes in this direction we shall note later on. 

The Confederate forces under Johnston and Beauregard were 
daily receiving reinforcements all this time, and were waiting 
the arrival of Van Dorn and Price from Arkansas, when they 
learned of Buell's approach. A hasty council was held on the 
night of April 5, and it was resolved to make an attack next 
morning. Accordingly, before dawn the Confederafes moved 
forward in three divisions, commanded respectively by Generals 
Hardee, Bragg and Polk, with Breckinridge bringing up the 
rear with the reserves. So secretly had this movement been 
arranged that the Union forces had not the slightest premonition 
of danger, when Hardee's division fell on Sherman's left and 
then struck Prentiss' division, dashing into the camp on the 
heels of a murderous hail of shells and bullets. Wholly unpre- 
pared, the Union troops were but partly dressed and many 
were cooking breakfast. The confusion was fearful. Hilde- 
brand's Brigade, of Sherman's Division, was driven from its camp, 
and only the heroic exertions of General Sherman prevented 
those of Buckland and McDowell from the same instantaneous 
rout. McClernand came to the support of Sherman's division, 
and for a time stemmed the tide of battle ; but this did not last 
long, and Sherman was compelled to fall back under the pressure 
of Bragg's advance. Meanwhile, Polk's division was pushing for 
Sherman's rear, to cut off his communications. This was pre- 
vente.d, and then the whole Confederate force fell upon Prentiss' 
division. A gallant struggle was made, but, overpowered by 
numbers, the line was broken up, and later in the day Prentiss 
and about two thousand of his troops were taken prisoners and 
sent to Corinth. McClernand had brought up his whole division 



BATTLE OF PITTSBURG LANDING. 231 

and stubbornly contested his position till Sherman's retrograde 
movement exposed his right flank, which the Confederates at 
once assailed with terrible fury. McClernand was forced back 
to a line with Hurlbut. The Confederate reserves — infantry 
and cavalry — meantime had fallen on Stuart's brigade on the 
extreme left, and after severe fighting forced that back also. 
By noon the Confederates held the camps of Sherman, McCler- 
nand, Prentiss and Stuart, and occupied the whole line from 
which the Federal forces had been driven. 

General Grant reached the field about eight o'clock in the mor- 
ning, having been at liis headquarters, eight miles away, when 
the conflict began. He joined Sherman in reforming the shat- 
tered brigades. Generals Hurlbut and W. H. L. Wallace bore 
the brunt of the battle after the other divisions had fallen back, 
and prevented the rush of the Confederates through the centre. 
About four o'clock, however, General Wallace fell, mortally 
wounded, and was borne from the field on a hand litter. The 
combined Confederate force now pressed on Hurlbut and he 
was forced further back toward the river. All this time General 
Lewis Wallace had been anxiously looked foi-, but a blunder- 
ing messenger sent by General Grant had led Wallace into error 
and he had been marching and countermarching over a route 
of about sixteen miles, so that it was not until after nightfall 
that he came up. 

Under the direction of Colonel Webster, Grant's chief of 
staff, earthworks were thrown up during a lull in the battle 
about sunset, and preparations were made to hold the Con- 
federates in check till Buell could come up. It was known 
that his advance was at Savannah. Hardly had the twenty- 
two heavy guns been placed in position when the Confederates 
made another attack, expecting to drive the Union army into the 
river. This attack, however, was repulsed, and soon afterward 
the gunboats Tyler and Lexington came up and began shelling 
the Confederates. Before midnight the fighting ceased, the 
Confederates feeling confident that they could finish their work 
at daybreak, while Grant felt equally sure that great as had 
been the peril and the loss, the worst was over. During the 
day the Confederate General Gladden had been killed, and 



233 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

General A. S. Johnston, Commander-in-Chief, had been mor- 
tally wounded. 

Throughout the night Buell's troops were arriving by land 
and water from Savannah, and the gunboats kept up such a 
constant fire upon the Confederate position that they were com- 
pelled to fall back, and thus they lost nearly all the advantage 
of position that they had acquired throughout the heavy day's 
fighting. During the night, General Lewis Wallace had dis- 
posed his division on the extreme right; the centre and left 
wing was composed of Buell's forces, consisting of three 
divisions under Generals William Nelson, Thomas T. Critten- 
den and Alexander McDowell McCook. This line was 
about one mile in length, stretching from the Hamburg 
road across the Corinth road. It should be mentioned 
here that the road from Pittsburg Landing to Corinth, 
twenty miles distant, divides about two miles from the 
river, one fork running to Lower Corinth. The Hamburg road 
runs from Hamburg Landing, some miles up the river. Before 
dawn Wallace began to shell the enemy, and thus opened the 
battle of April 7. As soon as his guns were heard Nelson 
and Crittenden moved their divisions forward. General Grant 
then ordered Wallace to attack the Confederate left. Wallace 
made short work of Euggles' division of Bragg's command, and 
occupied the hill from which this force was driven. In attempt- 
ing to follow up his advantage, Wallace broke his intended con- 
nection with Sherman's advance. The Confederates promptly 
attempted to profit by this and turn his right, but the effective 
work of Thompson's and Thurber's batteries kept them in 
check. 

Sherman meantime had been moving to retake his camp of 
the previous day. After fighting hard for an hour and a half, 
expecting Sherman, Wallace advanced on the enemy, who were 
posted near Shiloh Meeting-House on a wooded ridge. A tre- 
mendous fire drove Sherman back, and Wallace halted. Bart- 
lett's Ohio Battery, and Mendenhall's Battery, of the regular 
service, had meantime been having an artillery duel in front of 
Nelson's and Crittenden's divisions, and then Terrell's Battery 
came into pla}' on Nelson's left. Batteries were taken and lost 



HEAVY CONFEDERATE LOSSES. 233 

as tlie line swayed to and fro, but at length all tliree of the 
Confederate batteries were silenced by the concentrated fire of 
Mendenhall and Terrell. 

The Confederate centre, commanded by Beauregard, Bragg, 
Polk and Breckinridge had been meanwhile fiercely attacked 
by McCook's Division, and had been steadily forced back. 
Foiled at this point, the Confederates made a desperate attack 
on "Wallace and Sherman, driving the latter back and placing 
Wallace in imminent peril. The coming up of the Seventy- 
eighth Ohio, reserves, under Colonel Woods, prevented disaster, 
and then a gallant bayonet dash of the Thirty-second Indiana, 
under Colonel August Willich, completed the confusion of the 
Confederates and allowed Sherman to reform his line. Wal- 
lace then pressed on, and the rebel liues, stubbornly resisting, 
were forced back along their whole length. At length, driven 
through the Federal camps they had captured on the 6th, the 
Confederates gave up all pretense of making a stand. The 
Federal reserve cavalry was now thrown at tliem, hoping to 
turn the defeat into a rout, but Breckinridge, under Beauregard's 
orders, interposed, and a sharp artillery fire warned Buell that 
the cost of pursuit would be too heavy. He called a halt, and 
the Confederates, still protected by Breckinridge's rear guard, 
made their way to the heights of Monterey, on the road to Cor- 
inth. The Federal disaster of the 6th had thus been nobly 
redeemed on the 7th, but the carnage and losses generally had 
been frightful. Beauregard acknowledged a loss of 1,728 
killed, 8,013 wounded and 959 missing, but the j)robabilities are 
that the total loss was not far short of fifteen thousand. The 
Union loss was 1,700 killed, 7,495 wounded and 8,022 taken 
prisoners. George W. Johnston, Provisional Governor of Ken- 
tucky, was among the Confederate killed during the second 
day's fighting. 

On the 8th of April, Beauregard sent a flag of truce to General 
Grant, asking permis^'iion to send a force to the late battle fields 
and bury his dead. Grant informed him that this duty had 
already been performed, and declined to allow his men to ap- 
proach. In fact, not only had the dead of both armies been 
buried, from motives of humanity, but the carcasses of the 



234 



HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 



horses had been burned, to prevent danger to the health of the 
troops, who might have to remain on the spot for some time. It 
was well that this was done, for when General Halleck arrived 
at Pittsburg Landing and took command, on the 12th of April, 
he opposed an immediate advance, though Grant had prepared 
the way by sending Sherman along the Corinth road to drive 
in Breckinridge's rear guard, and afterward had dispatched 
him up the Tennessee with the gunboats to cut off Corinth 
from Tuscumbia by destroying the Memphis and Charleston 
Railroad bridge over Big Bear Creek. 




T>»';**1^1£ 



BURNING HORSES NEAR PITTSBURG L,ANDING. 



"We have mentioned General Mitchell's successful movements 
upon Huntsville, from which point he had sent Colonel Sill to 
the eastward, and Colonel Turchin to the westward, the latter 
capturing the towns of Stevenson, Decatur and Tuscumbia. It 
was to protect Turchin's stores at this point that Grant sent 
Sherman to cut off the communication with the rebel forces at 
Corinth. On the 24th of April, however, a Confederate force 
drove Turchin from this point, but he carried off his stores, 
crossed the Tennessee at Decatur, and burned the bridge. 
Turchin joined Sill, and some sharp fighting was had between 



HAIiLECK'S HESITATING HABITS. 235 

Stevenson and Bridgeport, but Mitcliell hurried to their support, 
and having driven the Confederates beyond the river, was in 
full possession of Huntsville, Bridgeport, and all Alabama north 
of the Tennessee, by the 1st of May. On this day also the Con- 
federates had been driven from Monterey, but nothing else had 
been done by Halleck's troops, though General Pope, with 
25,000, forming the Army of Missouri, had joined Halleck on 
April 22. Between the restless dash of Grant, with his 
unscrupulous disregard of the value of human life in military 
operations^ and the methodical caution of Halleck, there was 
room for a middle course, but Halleck was chief in command, 
and, consequently, though he had now about one hundred and 
eight thousand troops at his disposal, it was the 3d of May 
before he began to feel his way from Monterey toward Corinth. 

The delay had been of great advantage to the Confederates, 
for Beauregard had been reinforced by Generals Price, Van 
Dorn and Mansfield Lovell, the latter bringing the New Orleans 
troops. In addition, several bodies of militia from other States 
had been sent forward, so that within the intrenchments at Cor- 
inth there were now about 65,000 men. With Beauregard were, 
in addition to those generals just mentioned, Generals Polk, 
Hardee, Breckinridge and Bragg, the latter being next in rank 
to Beauregard and in command of the Army of the Mississippi. 
The bluster of Beauregard had done much to restore the shat- 
tered nerves of the Confederate soldiers, but they were yet to 
learn the difference between words and deeds. 

General Halleck, on his part, had reorganized his forces and 
consolidated the various divisions into the Grand Army of the 
Tennessee, with General Grant as second in command. The 
forward movement began by a skirmish at Farmington, from 
which part of Pope's Division drove General Marmaduke. 
This post, however, was retaken on the 9th by a large force 
under Van Dorn, who in turn, about a week later, was driven 
out by the advance of Pope's entire division. Shortly after 
this regular siege operations were begun and pushed forward 
day by day, the intrenching works being covered by skirmish- 
ing parties. On the 28th the army was within thirteen hundred 
} ards of the enemy's lines, and on the 29th Pope drove the 



286 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

Confederates from their advance batteries, while Sherman got 
his heavy guns in position within a thousand yards of Beau- 
regard's left. 

During the night Beauregard, despite all his boasting, had 
evacuated Corinth, leaving his pickets wholly unaware of the 
movement. The Federal sentinels had reported strange rum- 
bling noises during the night, and at dawn, when Sherman began 
to move, explosion after exjjlosion was heard, and soon dense 
masses of smoke hung over Corinth. It was soon ascertained 
that the position was wholly abandoned, that the stores, ord- 
nance, etc., had been sent off several hours before in the 
direction of Mobile, and that after applying the torch to the 
magazines and principal buildings, the rear guards and Beaure- 
gard had fled in the same direction. Pursuit was made for 
some forty miles, but the fugitives had a good start and only a 
few stragglers wore captured. 

Beauregard, after collecting his troops at Tupelo, turned over 
the command to General Bragg and went to Alabama for rest, 
a proceeding which so incensed Jeff. Davis that he vowed never 
to reinstate liim. 

Although the siege and capture of Corinth, bloodless as it 
was, pasised for a victory in the eyes of the public, and the pos- 
session of the post was of considerable consequence from a 
miUtary point of view, yet the escape of the Confederate army 
with its guns and stores was an event which caused deep chagrin 
among army men. There is probably little doubt that Grant, 
unhampered byHalleck's colder blood, would have captured or 
killed nearly the whole of the force thus hemmed in and driven 
to bay. As it was, Halleck proceeded to strengthen the works, 
restore railroad communications, and for a time fighting was 
over in this immediate locality. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

STONEWALL JACKSON IN THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY — OPERATIONS BEFORE YORK- 
TOWN— EVACUATION OF YORKTOWN—UATTLE OF WTLLIAMSBURG— FLIGHT OF 
THE CONFEDERATES ACROSS THE CHICKAHOMINY — SURRENDER OF NORFOLK — 
OPENING THE NAVIGATION OF THE JAMES RIVER. 

We left McClellan intrenching before Yorktown, and must now 
return to the operations in this locality. Before doing so, however, 
we will pick ap a few threads of our narrative. In the early part 
January the Confederate General Thomas Jonathan Jackson, 
better known by the soubriquet of " Stonewall " Jackson, had 
been active in endeavors to retrieve the blundering of Floyd and 
Wise in the Shenandoah Valley. To thwart his operations. 
General Fred. W. Lander was assigned to the task of protect- 
ing the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. With a sort of indepen- 
dent command, this brave and spirited officer kej^t his troops 
moving, and on February 14 tie fell on Jackson at Blooming 
Gap, driving him out with the loss of seventeen officers and 
sixty privates. General Lander, however, died on March 2, 
from the effects of a wound received at Edwards' Ferry about 
the time of the Ball's Bluff battle. General James Shields suc- 
ceeded him, and took up the work of watching the wily "Stone- 
wall." When Johnston evacuated Manassas, " Stonewall " Jack- 
son fell back to Winchester from the positions he had held in 
front of Major-General Nathaniel P. Banks, who at that time 
occupied the heights near Harper's Ferry, together with Charles- 
town, Leesburg and other points on the Blue Ridge. A further 
advance of Union troops sent ' ' Stonewall " forty miles further 
back, to Mount Jackson, from wlience he had direct communi- 
cation with Luray and other posts near Thompson's Gap on the 
eastern side. On the 19tli of March General Shields feigned an 
attack on this point, and then fell back to Winchester. In the 
meantime the movement of McClellan had been inaugurated, 
and, according to the plan of operations agreed upon at Fairfax 
Court House, General Banks withdrew most of his troops for 



238 



HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 



operations around Manassas. Turner Ashby's cavalry, of 
"Stonewall" Jackson's division, immediately began to harass 
Shields and his little force at Winchester and drive in his pick- 
ets. This movement was not deemed of importance, but, to check 
it, a brigade under Colonel Kimball was pushed forward to 
Kernstown. Neither Banks nor Shields suspected that near this 
point the daring "Stonewall " had massed about six thousand 
men, in addition to the dashing cavalry of Ash by. The Federals 
had barely taken up position when Jackson's artillery opened 

on them. A sharp engage- 
ment followed, but the Con- 
federates failed to turn Kim- 
ball's left. Jackson then 
threw his forces on the right 
wing, but Colonel E. B. 
Tyler's brigade came to the 
rescue. The Federals now 
in turn made the attack, and 
after a desperate struggle at 
a stone fence, Jackson's bri- 
gade fell back. Federal re- 
inforcements were rapidly 
sent up, and the Confeder- 
ates retreated up the valley 
in good order, leaving the 
Union forces in possession of 
the ground on wliich the bat- 
tle of Kernstown had been fought. General Banks became satis- 
fied that Jackson was too powerful a foe to be left Un watched, 
and therefore he recalled his first division, under General Wil- 
liams, which had been sent on to Centreville. General James 
Wads worth was made Military Governor of the District of 
Columbia, with command of the troops left by Banks for the 
protection of Washington City. At the same time Blenker's di- 
vision was withdrawn from McClellan's command and assigned 
to the support of Fremont's Mountain Department. General 
McDowell's corps was also retained for the additional protection 
of the Capital and to aid in checking the irrepressible Jackson. 




THOMAS J, ("stonewall") JACKSON, 



THE TRENCHES BEFORE YORKTOWN. 



239 



We have thus covered the ground up to the time of McClellan's 
advance, and will now join him in the trenches which Fitz 
John Porter had been working at for several weeks. On 
April 16 a reconnoissance in force was attempted before 
Yorktown, at Dam No. 1, on the Warwick River. The 
movement was repulsed with a loss of about one hundred men, 
the Federals being driven back through the river waist-deep. 
McClellan had an exaggerated idea of Magruder's force, which 
at no time then had exceeded 8,000 men, and the reduction of 
his own force kept him 
from aggressive move- 
ments. His appeals to 
the President were met 
by urgent instructions 
to act promptly. Still 
McClellan lingered, 
and even when Frank- 
lin's division of 12,000 
was sent to reinforce 
his already large army 
of nearly 120,000 men, 
he still remained in- 
active and in doubt 
whether to storm the 
enemy's lines or turn 
his flank. The Confed- 
erates, however, had 

long since decided that the position was untenable, both 
Lee and Johnston having carefully inspected the works 
and considered the possibilities. Magruder was therefore in- 
structed to keep up the farce of resistance until a thorough 
concentration could be made around Richmond. At length 
McClellan had made his dispositions for an attack, and May 6 
was fixed as the time, but this had probably leaked out, as these 
matters very frequently did, the " spy service " being in full 
operation on both sides, though the championship in this 
peculiar class of operations must certainly be awarded to the 
wily and unscrupulous Confederates. This was partly owing 




GEN. NATHANIEL P. BANKS. 



240 



HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 



to the devotion exhibited for the Confederate cause by the 
ladies of the South. 

On the 30th of April, Johnston, Lee and Magruder, together 
with Jeff Davis and some of his Cabinet, held a council in York- 
town and decided on evacuation. On May 3 this was hastily car- 
ried out, and the troops from that point retreated to Wil- 
liamsburg. On the morning of the 4th McClellan found notliing 
to storm, ond after taking possession of the abandoned works, 
sent General Edwin V. Sumner in pursuit of the fugitives. 

The pursuing force 
consisted of the cav- 
alry and horse artil- 
lery under Stone - 
man, the divisions 
of Generals Joseph 
Hooker and Kearny 
along the Yorktown 
road, and those of 
Smith, C'ouch and 
Casey along the 
Winn's Mill road. 
At the junction of 
these two roads was 
Fort Magruder, and 
other works had 
been thrown up in 
the vicinity. Here 
the Confederates had left a strong rear guard, and Stone- 
man's advance was checked. Hooker, on hearing of tliis 
check, pressed on to the Warwick road and Sumner joined 
Stoneman. At dawn on the 5th of May, Hooker came 
upon the Confederate lines before W^illiamsburg. The ap- 
proach was protected by felled timber and rifle pits. Hooker, 
knowing he had a heavy supporting force, determined 
upon immediate attack, and throwing out skirmishei s to pick 
off the sharpshooters, advanced Weber's and Bramhall's bat- 
teries. After a hard fight, Fort Magruder was silenced. But 
now Longstreet's division was sent from Williamsburg to sup- 




GKN. JOSEPH HOOKER. 



ATTACK ON WILLIAMSBURG 



241 



port the Confederate rear guard, and the battle by noon had 
assumed a serious aspect. Till nearly nightfall Hooker had to 
repel furious onslaughts, and could get no aid from Sumner, as 
General Winheld Scott Hancock had the main portion of the 
remainder of the troops holding the Confederates in check on 
the right. He held his ground, however, till General Phil. 
Kearny came up, and dashing to the front, relieved Hooker's ex- 
hausted troops, whose loss during the day had been nearly two 
thousand. Kearny, with his customary pluck, at once began 
to push the enemy, and 
under his orders 
Colonel Hobart Ward 
charged on and cap- 
tured the centre rifle 
pits. In this effort he 
lost nine officers. This 
work was completed 
by the Fortieth New 
York, under Captain 
Mindil, and with the 
aid of reserves under 
General Jameson a 
line of battle was 
estabhshed before 
dark. In another di- 
rection General Han- 
cock had seized a 
couple of redoubts 

near the flank and rear of the Confederate lines, but was 
compelled to retire before a heavy force under General 
Jubal Early, till he reached a position near Cub Dam Creek, 
where he formed his line. Early's troops pressed on, and Han- 
cock calmly awaited the coming shock till just before the mo- 
ment of impact. Then, by a gallant bayonet charge all along 
his line, he drove the Confederates back pell-mell, and killed 
fi_lly five hundred of them. All this time McClellan had been 
absent, but coming up now, he ordered reinforcements to 
Hancock's support, who thus held the key of the position. 




GEN. PHILIP KEARNY. 



242 



HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 



The total Federal loss was about twenty-two hundred killed 
and wounded ; that of the Confederates was about one thou- 
sand 

That night General Longstreet hastily evacuated Williams- 
burg, and followed Johnston toward theChickahominy, leaving 
nearly eight hundred of his wounded behind. McClellan occu- 
pied the place next day, but failed to follow up his advantage. 
This delay has been condemned, and it is quite possible thati 
prompt pursuit might have effected very important results, but 

it is hardly just to 
criticise such opera- 
tions from the luxuri- 
ous repose of a library 
arm-chair, with facts 
at command which 
could not possibly 
have been within the 
knowledge of a har- 
assed commander in 
the field. On the 8th 
of May McClellan sent 
Stoneman forward, 
and by the 22d the 
headquarters of the 
General-in-Chief were 
at Cool Arbor, about 
nine miles from Rich- 
mond and near the Cliickahominy, beyond which the Con- 
federates had safely retreated. In the meantime his advance 
had crossed the river and occupied the heights on the Richmond 
side. 

"While these operations were in progress an important move- 
ment had been made by General Wool, who was in command 
at Fortress Monroe. He learned on the 8th of May that General 
Huger, intimidated by the proximity of Burnside and McClellan, 
was preparing to evacuate Norfolk, and as this had long been 
an objective point in Wool's plans, he made instant arrange- 
ments for an attack. His first attempt to land and seize Sewell's 




GEN. JAMES LONGSTREET. 



RECAPTURE OF NORFOLK NAVY YARD. 343 

Poiut was frustrated by the Merrimack (or Virginia) coming to 
the aid of the shore batteries. He then changed his plans, and 
at midnight on the 10th of May a landing was effected at Ocean 
View, the troops, some five thousand in number, under Briga- 
dier-General Max Weber, being taken in transports, under con- 
voy of Commodore Goldsborough, from Hampton Roads. Pres- 
ident Lincoln and Secretaries Chase and Stanton accompanied 
General Wool to the point where the troops landed, and then 
returned to Fortress Monroe. Meanwhile General Wool took 
command in person, and with Generals Mansfield and Viele 
advanced upon the works. The bridge over Tanner's Creek had 
been set on fire, but Huger had fled with his troops to Riciimond, 
leaving his artillery. The Federal troops were met by a flag of 
truce, and Mayor Lamb made a formal surrender of the city. 
General Viele was appointed Military Governor, and Wool rode 
back to Fortress Monroe with the welcome news of this impor- 
tant capture. Next morning the Confederates applied the torch 
to the Navy Yard, blew up the Merrimack (or Virginia), aban- 
doned the fortifications at Sewell's Point and Craney Island, 
and running their gunboats on the James River toward Rich- 
mond, left the navigation once more open. 

These successes were considered by the President as the 
most important among the recent events, and he issued an or- 
der, through Secretary Stanton, conveying his thanks as Com- 
mander-in-Chief of the army to Major-General John E. Wool, 
and the officers and soldiers of his command, for their gallant 
conduct in these brilliant operations. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

CAPTURE OF MEMPHIS — BATTLE OF NEW BERNE— OPERATIONS ALONG THE CARO- 
LINA COASTS— CAPTURE OF FORT PULASKI— DUPONT AND SHERMAN IN FLORIDA 
—BUTLER AND FARRAGUT ON THE MISSISSIPPI — OPERATIONS AGAINST FORTS 
JACKSON AND ST. PHILIP— CAPTURE OF NEW ORLEANS— OCCUPATION OF THE 
CITY BY GENERAL BUTLER. 

We must now rapidly run over concurrent events in other 
sections. "We have recorded the capture of Island Number Ten 
in the earlv part of April. General Pope's next objective point 
was Memphis and accordingly Commodore Foote's flotilla pre- 
pared to convoy the transports down the Misivssippi. To do 
this, however, the Confederate works along the river, some of 
which were remarkably strong, had to be subdued. Fort Pil- 
low, eighty miles above Memphis, was the first reached, and on 
the 14th of April Commodore Foote began shelling the works 
and soon sent Hollins' flotilla to shelter. The country being 
inundated, the troops could not co-operate. On the 9th of May 
Foote was compelled to turn over his command to Captain C. 
H. Davis, the wound received at Fort Donelson incapacitating 
him from duty. The next day HolHns with an increased flo- 
tilla and some armored "rams" attacked the Federal fleet. 
After a fierce fight one of the Confederate gunboats was sunk, 
one of the rams and another gunboat heavily damaged, and 
Hollins ceased the attack. With occasional interchanges of 
shots a couple of weeks passed, and then Davis was reinforced 
by a "ram" squadron under Colonel Charles Ellet, Jr. The 
rebels had, however, learned of the disaster at Corinth, and on 
the night of May 4 they evacuated Fort Pillow and went down 
the river escorted by Hollins' flotilla. Fort Randolph, lower 
down, was also evacuated and the Union flag was soon floating 
over both forts. Pushing on in pursuit, Davis' fleet was but a 
short distance above Memphis on the evening of May 5. The 
Confederate fleet lay here ready for action. Early on the 
morning of the 6th of May the Cairo, of the Federal fleet, 



REMARKABLE NAVAL CONFLICT. 245 

opened the attack. A couple of Confederate rams were 
promptly tlirown forward and as promptly met two similar 
vessels from Ellet's squadron. The unique naval combat lasted 
but a short time, during which the rival rams rushed at each 
other with terrible fury. The Beauregard and the Lovell, of 
the Confederate fleet, were sunk, the Van Dorn escaped down 
the river, and the other vessels were abandoned by the Con- 
federates, who made for the shore. All opposition to the Fed- 
eral fleet being thus swept aside, the fall of Memphis followed 
as a natural consequence. General M. Jeff Thompson, who had 
watched the naval fight, fled as soon as the day was lost and 
Mayor Park surrendered the city to the Union commanders. 
Shortly afterwards General Wallace, upon the fall of Corinth, 
was sent to occupy that post and protect the Memphis and 
Ohio Railroad bet^veen there and Humboldt. 

In the meantime General Burnside had been busy. After the 
capture of Roanoke Island he planned an attack on New Berne, 
North Carolina, and with the fleet, now under command of 
Commodore Rowan, left Hatteras Inlet on March 12. The 
next day his troops, about 15,000 in number, were landed at 
Slocum's Creek and pushed on toward New Berne, eighteen 
miles distant, the gunboats keeping pace with the army along 
the shore of the Neuse River. The channel had been obstructed 
at many points by sunken vessels and powerful torpedoes, but 
fortunately all these were avoided. On the morning of the 
14th, General Foster, with the First Brigade, marched upon 
Fort Thompson, while Generals Reno and Parke followed 
with their two divisions further inland. After heavy fighting 
Foster captured the outlying Confederate works and swept the 
occupants out of their intrenchments. Meanwhile General Reno 
had been engaged with another shore battery, but with the aid 
of the Fifty- first Pennsylvania, under Colonel John F. Har- 
tranft, this position was also stormed. The Confederates fled 
across the Trent, at the junction of which with the Neuse, New 
Berne i^ located. They burned the bridges behind them and 
made off to Tuscarora, ten miles distant. The fleet in the 
interim had silenced the works along shore, and at night Gen- 
eral Burnside took military possession of New Berne. The cap- 



246 HISTORY OF THE CIYIL WAR. 

ture of this town and harbor was of great importance. A large 
quantity of guns and ammunition, stores, wagons, etc., together 
with a couple of steamers and some sailing vessels, were also 
captured. The Federal loss was about one hundred killed, 
including Lieutenant -Colonel Henry Merritt, of the Twenty- 
third Massachusetts. Two hundred Confederates were made 
prisoners. After appointing General Foster Military Governor 
of the city, General Burnside prepared to move on Fort Macon, 
commanding B(>gue Sound and the harbor of Beaufort, North 
Carolina. General Reno was dispatched to make demonstra- 
tions in the rear of Norfolk and General Parke was sent to 
attack Fort Macon. On the 23d of March Parke's troops occu- 
pied Morehead City, and then siege operations were begun 
against Fort Macon. At 6 a. m. on the 25th of April, the f-iege 
batteries on Bogue Spit opened fire and were ably assisted by 
the gunboats. The combat was maintained with vigor on both 
sides till 4 P. M., when Captain Guion displayed a white flag 
from the fort and sent an offer of surrender. General Burn- 
side had come over from New Berne and the next morning 
took possession of Fort Macon and some five hundred prisoners. 

Meanwhile, General Reno had been active along Albemarle 
Sound. Several sharp engagements were fought, including the 
battle of South Mills, m which Hawkins' Zouaves suffered con- 
siderable loss. Finally, Washington, at the head of the Pamlico 
River; Winton, on the Chowan, and Plj^mouth, at the mouth of 
the Roanoke River, were occupied by the Federal forces, and 
for a time active operations ceased ia this direction, the coasts 
of North Carolina being now practically under the control of 
the Union troops. On the 17th of July General Burnside was 
summoned to Fortress Monroe, and he turned over the com- 
mand of the department to General Foster. 

Meanwhile, General Sherman and Commodore Dupont were 
planning the capture of Fort Pulaski and other important posts 
between the Savannah River and St. Augustine, Florida. Fort 
Pulaski, on Cockspur Island, at the mouth of the Savannah 
River, and Fort Jackson, had been seized by the Confederates 
early in the war. After some preliminary movements by an 
expedition under Captain John Rogers, with the gunboats and 



CAPTURE OP FORT PULASKI. 347 

troops under General Viele, a lodgment was first effected on 
Jones' Island, wlicre earthworks were thrown up at Venus 
Point, and then heavy batteries were established on Big Tybee 
Island. By this means Fort Pulaski was blockaded and the 
Savannah River in the rear closed. This work vvas accom- 
plished toward the end of February, and the works were then 
pushed forward for a bombardment. Under the direction of 
General David Hunter, who succeeded General Sherman in 
command of the department, and who arrived at Tybee on the 
8th of March, the attack was commenced on the morning of the 
10th, a summons to surrender having been disregarded. Through- 
out that day the heavy batteries of Tybee Island, which General 
Gillmore had constructed with great skill, kept pounding away 
at the fort, and before night the return fire of the enemy had 
become very weak. At intervals of about twenty minutes 
throughout the night (jillmore kept sending his iron compli- 
ments to Colonel Charles H. Olmstead, First Georgia Volunteers, 
in command of the fort. At daybreak on the 11th the cannon- 
ade was resumed with increased vigor, and shortly after noon 
the masonry was so badly wrecked that Gillmore had deter- 
mined to storm the works. Before this movement could be set 
on foot a white flag was shown, and Fort Pulaski, with a num- 
ber of guns, large quantities of ammunition and stores of all 
kinds, passed into the possession of the Federal forces. This 
capture effectually sealed the port of Savannah. 

Commodore Dupont and General H. G. Wright, with a mixed 
force, had in the meantime been moving along the Florida coast. 
Dupont had proceeded to Cumberland Sound, and was prepar- 
ing for a vigorous attack on Fort Clinch when the Confederates 
abandoned the position and Commander Drayton hoisted the 
Union flag over the recaptured national fort. In like manner 
Fernandina and Brunswick, the terminus of the Brunswick and 
Pensacola Railroad, were evacuated. Then Jacksonville was 
abandoned after the place had been set on fire by order of 
General Tra})ier, Confederate commander of the district. 

Commander Rogers had meanwhile received the surrender of 
Fort Marion and the city of St. Augustine. The evacuation of 
Pensacola followed, after the Confederate General T. N. Jones 



248 



HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 



had destroyed all he could burn in the Navy Yard and in 
Forts McRee and Barrancas. Brilliant as were these achieve- 
ments, they had little practical result, it being found inex- 
pedient to attempt to retain j)ossession of Florida at this time, 
though a loyalist sentiment had been aroused which gave indi- 
cations of cordial support. General Wright withdrew his 
troops and Dupont returned to Port Royal. The Vernon and 
Wilmington rivers, and Wassaw and Ossabavv sounds, had, 
however, been opened, and General Sherman was in possession 

of Edisto Island. 

The next important 
event ab-jut this time 
was the capture of. 
New Orleans and its 
occupation by General 
B. F. Butler. This 
had long been a pet 
project with Butler, 
and after a conference 
with Secretary Stan- 
ton, on January 13th, 
1863, the desired per- 
mission had been 
given. General Mc- 
Clellan opposed the 
project, fearing to have '^ 
his own force weak- 
ened, but Butler had 
been recruiting in New England and could find his own men. 
McClellan's objections were set aside by President Lincoln, and 
General Butler was placed in command of the newly created 
''Department of the Gulf." On the 24th of February Butler 
took leave of the President in Washington, with the declaration 
that he would not return alive unless he captured New Orleans. 
The next day Butler embarked at Hampton Roads Avith some of 
his troops, but did not effect a landing at Ship Island, on the 
coast of Mississii:)pi, between Mobile Bay and Lake Borgne, un- 
til the 25th of March. This point had long been fixed on as the 




DAVID Q. FAKEAQUT, 



MOVEMENTS ON THE MISSISSIPPI. 249 

rendezvous for the land and naval forces of the expedition 
against New Orleans. 

Captain David G. Farragut had been assigned to the com- 
mand of the naval force, and Commander David D. Porter 
with a fleet of bomb vessels was instructed to co-operate with 
him. This latter fleet, consisting of twenty-one schooners, liad 
been constructed specially at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. They 
were of light draught, but very stoutly built. Each carried a 
mortar throwing a 15-inch shell and two o2-pound rifled 
cannon. Farragut, with the armed steamer Hartford, had 
arrived at Ship Island on the 20th of February, bearing orders 
for I'lag-Ofiicer McKean to turn over to him the command of 
the Western Gulf Squadron. The rendezvous of Porter's 
mortar fleet was Key West. While the details of the expedi- 
tion wore being mapped out a reconnoissance was made up the 
river as far as Fort Jackson, and the character of the coast 
ascertained. Below New Orleans, and about seventy-five 
miles above the passes of the Mississippi, were Forts Jackson 
and St. Pliilip, on opposite sides of the river, besides numerous 
smaller works, and a powerful water battery attached to the 
former fort, and a heavy chain cable had been stretched 
across the river (this, however, a recent flood had swept away). 
Porter learned, also, that for some miles below Fort Jackson, 
the shore was heavily wooded, and he took advantage of this 
circumstance in a most ingenious manner. When he moved 
up to his position below Fort Jackson, on the left bank, his 
mortar boats were disguised by tree branches and leaves, so 
as to be almost indistinguishable from the forest behind them. 
On the ITth of April all preparations had been completed. 
General Butle?-, with 9,000 troops, was at the Southwest Pass, 
and the fleets were ready to move. The next morning f oui'teen 
of Porter's vessels were moorod below Fort Jackson, and 
Farragut with six of his fleet had taken position among the 
reeds on the opposite side. The bombardment was speedily 
commenced, and for a couple of days was kept up with vigor, 
but without result. Farragut then determined on exe<^uting 
the alternative plan of running past the forts and seizing New 
Orleans, leaving the reduction of the fortifications for after 



250 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

operations. Before this could be done the obstruction in the 
river had to be removed. This work was begun that night, 
but the movement was detected, and the enemy sent a fire-raft 
down the stream from the Confederate fleet, which consisted 
of thirteen gun-boats, the ram Manassas, and an iron-clad 
floating battery, moored above Fort Jackson. This diversion 
the Confederates indulged in every night with the double pur- 
pose of injuring the Federal fleet, if possible, and at the same 
time throwing light upon their midnight movements. As a 
rule the rafts were swung to the shore and left to burn, but 
some kept on their course weirdly illuminating the river 
banks. 

At two o'clock on the morning of April 24 Farragut began 
the advance on the flagship Hartford, followed by the Rich- 
mond and Brooklyn, keeping along the right bank to attack 
Fort Jackson, while the gunboats Harriet Lane, Westfield, 
Owasco, Clinton, Miami and Jackson were to engage the water 
battery. Porters mortar boats retained tlieir position to cover 
the advance. On the eastern side Captain Theodorus Bailey, with 
the Pensacola, Mississippi, Oneida, Varuna, Katahdin, Kiyieo, 
Wissahickon and Portsmouth, was to engage Fort St. Philip. 
The attack on the Confederate fleet was left as an independent 
operation to Captain Bell, on the Cayuga, with the Sciota, 
Winona, Iroquois, Pinola, Itaska and Kennebec. At the mo- 
ment of the advance the mortar boats opened a tremendous fire 
on Fort Jackson. The Cayuga was the first to pass the boom, 
and her advance was at once detected, drawing the fire of the 
hitherto silent forts. Most of the leading division got through 
the boom, but the Portsmouth, in tow of the Jackson, got de- 
tached in firing a broadside and floated down stream. The 
Itasca was disabled, and also drifted down, while the Kennebec 
and the Winona fell back beneath the iron hail. Farragut had 
got within about a mile of Fort Jackson when the fort opened 
fire, striking the Hartford several times. As the vessels ad- 
vanced the ram Manassas made a dash at the Brooklyn, but 
failed to injure her. Meanwhile the Manassas pushed a blazing 
fire raft against the Hartford, and for a moment the condition 
of Farragut was perilous in the extreme. After less than two 



CAPTURE OF NEAV ORLEANS. 261 

hours of this terrible conflict, in which every description of 
naval vessel and marine monster, together with the heavily 
armed forts, were making night hideous with noise and blaze, 
the Federal fleet passed the forts. Eleven of the Confederate 
vessels had been destroyed or sunk, and the mighty ram 3Ia- 
nassas went blazing down the river a shattered hulk, till she 
sunk iu the midst of Porter's mortar boats below Fort Jackson. 
Farragut, with thirteen of his vessels, moved up to Quaran- 
tine, and the fate of New Orleans was practically settled. 
General Lovell, who -had been down the river, hastened back to 
the city and prepared for immediate evacuation, but he left 
orders with General Smith, in command of the Chalmette bat- 
tery, below the city, to resist to the utmost. Farragut and 
Bailey, however, soon silenced these works, and then Bailey 
was sent ashore to demand the surrender of the city from 
Lovell. That worthy declined to surrender, but said he should 
withdraw his troops and leave the civil authorities to defend 
the city. In accordance with Lovell's suggestions, Mayor John 
T. Monroe sent a stupid letter cf defiance, which Farragut 
promptly replied to by a threat to bombard the city without 
any reference to the danger of innocent citizens. For some 
days this senseless correspondence was continued, Farragut 
being well aware that he could afford to smile at the impudence 
of the Mayor till such time as Butler should arrive. Accord- 
ingly, on the 30th, he peremptorily closed negotiations. The 
first Union flag had been hoisted over the Mint on the 24th by a 
small force from the Pcnsacola, but this was speedily torn 
down. It was subsequently replaced by Captain Bell. 

While this was going on General Butler had landed his 
troops in the rear of Fort St. Philip and was ready on the 28th 
to begin the assault, but the news of Farragut's operations in 
New Orleans convinced Colonel Higgins that the case was 
hopeless and he consequently surrendered the forts and the 
remnant of the Confederate fleet. 

On the 29th, Butler joined Farragut, and after looking over 
the position, went back to expedite the advance of his troops. 
Ou the 1st of May the debarkation commenced. The city was 
in a terrible condition; large quantities of cotton had been 



352 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

burned, and a wholesale destruction of public and private prop- 
erty inaugurated by General Lovell and Mayor Monroe. Ex- 
cited and reditious mobs roved the streets and Butler found he 
had as much work before him in adjusting matters of local 
control as he had got through in approaching the city 
hostilely. He was equal to the task and again had an 
opportunity to air some of that large stock of "views" with 
which, as we have previously shown, this many sided, myste- 
rious man is always amply provided. As our space is limited 
and these local details hardly come within the scope of our 
work, we will leave General Butler in full possession of New 
Orleans, and in another chapter return to the army before 
Richmond. 

We can hardly quit New Orleans, however, without giving a 
sample of the extremities to which General Butler was driven 
by the fierce secession spirit of the populace. Tiie document 
quoted is self-explanatory: 

Headquarters Department of the Gulf, } 
New Orleans, Blay lo, 186'.^ ) 

General Order No. 28 : 

As the officers and soldiers of the United States have been subject to re- 
peated insults from the women (calling themselves ladies) of New Orleans, 
in return for the most scrupulous non-interference and courtesy on our part, 
it is ordered that hereafter, when any female shall by word, gesture, or 
movement, insult or show contempt for any officer or soldie • of the United 
States, she shall be regarded and held liable to be treated as a woman of 
the town plying her avocation. By command of 

MaJOR-GenBRAL BUTliKR. 

George C. Strong, Assistant Adjutant General, Chief of StaflE. 

Mayor Monroe made this the subject of so insolent a letter 
that Butler ordered his arrest and General G. F. Shepley was 
appointed Military Governor of the city. 

We shall have occasion to return to New Orleans later on, 
but may mention here that General Butler remained in command 
of the Department of the Gulf until superseded by General Banks 
who was assigned to that duty on November 9th. 1862, and as- 
sumed command on December 16th. A week later General 
Butler left New Orleans by steamer for New York. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

STONEWALL JACKSON IN THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY-FIGHT AT WINCHESTER- 
BATTLE OP CROSS KEYS - M'CLELLAN BEFORE RICHMOND - RETROGRADE 
MOVEMENT TO THE JAMES RIVER-THE BATTLE OF GLENDALK-THE FITZ JOHN 
PORTER AFFAIR-BATTLE OF GROVETON-GENERAL POPE RELIEVED OF HTS 
COMMAND. 

We left " Stonewall" Jacksou in the month of April, 1862, 
operating in the Shenandoah Valley. On the 30th of that 
month he was reinforced by troops under Generals R. S. Ewell 
and Edward S. Johnson till he had a force of about 15,000 men. 
Jackson's special work at this time was an attempt to keep 
General Banks in check at Harrisonburg, while Lee pushed on to 
cut the Federal communications between Winchester and Alex- 
andria, but he suddenly became aware of the approach of Gen- 
eral Milroy by way of Monterey, with one of Fremont's Brig- 
ades to join Banks. To prevent this, Jackson left Ewell posted 
nearSwiftRunGap, and pushed forward to Staunton, while 
Johnson went to check Milroy. This was partially successful, 
and Milroy fell back to McDowell, thirty-six miles west of 
Staunton. ' Here Jackson and Johnson gave him battle on the 
8th of May. The fight was stubborn, but without practical 
advantage to either side, except that the Federals, during the 
next night, abandoned their position and retreated to Fi-anklin. 
Jackson followed them up until he learned that Banks was pre- 
paring to leave Harrisonburg, when he again combined his forces 
and dashed through the Luray Valley, falling on Colonel 
Kenly's garrison at Front Royal and driving the Federals out 
of that position. Kenly crossed the Shenandoah, but was so 
hotly pursued by Ashby's cavalry that he was compelled to 
stand and give battle. The result was disastrous, as Kenly and 
some seven hundred of his troops, with the supply train and 
several guns, were captured. This was on the 23d of May, and 
the news reaching Banks next morning, he at once began a 
retreat from Strasburg, in the direction of Winchester. Though 



254 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

closely pursued, this point was reached, but it was found im- 
possible to maintain a stand even here. The Confederate force 
of twenty thousand men was nearly three times the strength of 
Banks' Division ; consequently , after a stubborn fight of five 
hours, on the 25th, Banks was compelled to evacuate Winches- 
ter, and fall back first to Martinsburg and then to the banks of 
the Potomac opposite Williamsburg. Ashby's cavalry were too 
intent on plunder to join cfiicientlj^ in the pursuit, and to this 
may be ascribed the failure of Jackson to annihilate Banks' 
little force. It was now the turn, however, of the pursuer to 
become the pursued ; for Generals Shields, McDowell and Fre- 
mont rapidly concentrated, and Jackson found it expedient to 
retreat rapidly up the valley and endeavor to cross the Shenan- 
doah by the bridge at Port Republic. The Federals pressed so 
close on the rear of the Confederates that a sharp engagement 
ensued between Ashby's cavahy covering the retreat, and a cav- 
alry force under Colonel Percy Wyndham. In this fight Wynd- 
ham and some sixty of his men were captured, and next Colonel 
Kane, of the Bucktail Rifles (Pennsylvanians), was also taken 
prisoner. The Confederates, though victorious so far, suffered 
a severe loss in the death of Ashby, whose horse had been killed 
under him, and then he, while advancing on foot was shot 
through the body. The Confederates pressed on for Port Re- 
public, but were compelled to give battle again at Cross Keys. 
The result was indecisive, both sides retaining their chosen posi- 
tions. Meanwhile, Jackson had crossed the Shenandoah. The 
Federal troops were still close upon him, and General Tyler 
made a gallant dash upon Ewell and Jackson. The force, how- 
ever, was insufficient, and he was repulsed with the loss of four 
hundred and fifty men taken prisoners. After this, Jackson 
had little difficulty in keeping Tyler at bay till he had moved 
liis troops across the bridge and destroyed it. Fremont came 
hurriedly up, but too late to prevent the burning of the bridge, 
and the river was too swollen to be forded. The Federal forces 
then fell back ; then Jackson recrossed the river, but on the 17th 
of June left the valley to aid in the defense of Richmond. 

We must now return to McClellan, whom we left inactive 
before Richmond, save for some small skirmishes between out- 



BATTLE AT WHTTF, OAK SAVAMP. 255 

lying divisions on the banks of the Chickahominy. The fact 
that McDowell was not sent to reinforce him was the cause of 
constant complaint by McClellan, and was made the pretext 
for delay, although IMcDowell's operations on the Shenandoah 
Valley were really of importance as tending to prevent Jack- 
son's reinforcement of the forces defending Richmond. Presi- 
dent Lincoln again urged McClellan to do something, and do it 
quickly ; but the only replies were demands for additional 
troops and intimations of possible successes in the near future. 
Instead, however, of moving his main army on the Richmond 
works, he sent Fitz John Porter to Hanover Court-House to 
keep open the path for McDowell. Ably supported by General 
W. H. Emory, Benson's Cavalry and General Morell's Division, 
composed of Martindale's, Butterfipld'sandMcQuade's Brigades, 
General Porter, after some sharp fighting en route, captured 
the Confederate camp at Hanover Court-House on May 28th, 
with a number of prisoners, two railroad trains and a large 
quantity of war material. General Sykes' division was sent to 
Porter's support, and then the Confederate communications in 
several directions were severed ; this work included the cutting 
of the Richmond and Fredericksburg road, the destruction of 
the railroad bridge over the South Anna and several other 
smaller bridges. 

The Confederate General Johnston, however, was far from 
idle. Noting the fact that the Federal army was divided by 
the Chickahominy, he prepared to attack it in detail, and on 
May SOtli he started to attack Casey's Division, on the Williams- 
burg road, at Seven Pines, and the divisions of Kearny and 
Hooker at Savagc^'s Station and the neighborhood of White Oak 
Swamp, on the Richmond side of the river. About noon on the 
31st, Generals Longstreet and D. H. Hill came upon Casey's 
front, while General Huger was moving on the left flank and 
General G. W. Smith on the right flank at Four Oaks Station. 
After a severe fight Casey was forced back, Kearny was driven 
to White Oak Swamp and Smith had fallen with great fury on 
the Union right at Fair Oaks Station. The brilhant advance 
of General Sumner alone saved the army on the Richmond 
side from total rout. Bringing up Sedgwick's and Richard- 



256 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

son's Divisions, he speedily recovered the ground lost by 
Heintzebnan and Crouch ; and in the fierce conflict which 
ensued the Confederate Generals Johnston and Smith were 
wounded, and carried from the field. To complete the confu- 
sion of the Confederates, General Sumner hurled three regi- 
ments of Gorman's Brigade and two of Dana's Brigade upon 
the enemy, in a dashing bayonet charge. Tliis finished the 
work for that day. By daybreak on June 1st the Confederates 
renewed the attack on Richardson's Brigade. This had been 
anticipated, and was met by portions of the Brigades of Gene- 
rals French and O. O. Howard, forming the first line ; a second 
line was formed by the remainder of Howard's Brigade, and 
supporting these wore General Thomas F. Meagher's Irish 
Brigade. General Roger A. Pryor and General Mahone fell 
heavily upon French's Division, but Meagher's men came to the 
front, and the Confederate attack was repulsed with heavy loss. 
During that day and evening the Confederates fell back to 
Richmond, removing their camp equipage and munitions. The 
next day Hooker made a reconnoissance to within four miles 
of Richmond, without check, but by McClellan's orders fell 
back, and began throwing up intrenchments around Fair Oaks 
Station. The losses in these engagements amounted to nearly 
half of the entire forces engaged, being about seven thousand 
on either side. Several prominent Union officers were severely 
wounded or killed during the battles of Fair Oaks and Seven 
Pkies ; among the former being Generals Naglee, Devons, How- 
ard and Wessels and Colonel Cross. 

The subsequent proceedings before Richmond were so unsatis- 
factory that we shall not occupy our limited space by the de- 
tails, but merely summarize results. We have seen that Stone- 
wall Jackson hastily quitted the Valley of the Shenandoah and 
started for Richmond. By a series of masterly movements, the 
wUy campaigner, who was as subtle as he was brave and active, 
had made his way to Ashland, about sixteen miles from Rich- 
mond, where he arrived on June 25tli with some 35,000 
men. General Joseph E. Johnston being seriously wounded, 
General Robert E. Lee had assumed command of the Army of 
Northern Virginia, and the Confederate troops were concen- 



THE BATTLE OF GLENDALE. 257 

trated in readiness to force McClellan to give battle or to retire 
from the siege of Richmond. 

All this time McClellan was comparatively idle, although 
General J. E. B. Stuart had made a desperate raid around his 
position, between the 10th and 15th of June, capturing a number 
of prisoners and destroying wagons and schooners at Garlock's 
Landing, above the White House, on the Paraunkey River. 

The information of Jackson's arrival at Ashland decided 
McClellan's course; he had been projecting a retrograde move- 
ment to the James River, and this was hastened by the bold 
advance of Generals Longstreet, A, P. and D. H. Hill on Me- 
chanicsville. This took place on the afternoon of Juno 26th, 
but owing to the failure of Jackson to co-operate, the Confed- 
erate attack was a failure, and resulted in fearful loss of life. It 
has been stated that if McClellan had at this time pressed in on 
Richmond he might have passed between Leo and his base of 
supplies, but instead of doing this he prepared to withdraw his 
troops across the Chickahominy. In carrying out this move- 
ment several severe battles we'"e brought on. That of Gaines' 
Farm was especially disastrous, Fitz John Porter's division 
being terribly cut up. McClellan now abandoned his intrench- 
ments, and leaving his sick and wounded with the medical 
stores, etc., at Savage's Station, he made a hasty retreat to Mal- 
vern Hills, on the banks of the James River, closely followed 
by the Confederates under Magruder, Huger, Longstreet, Hill 
and Jackson. Fortunately the Confederates were too late to 
prevent the passage of the troops over Wliite Oak Sv/amp 
Bridge, but a fierce fight was waged here, known as the Battle 
of Glendale, in which General Meade was severely wounded. 
General McCall was taken prisoner, and but for a desperate 
charge by General -Meagher, the fortunes of the day must have 
told heavily against the Federal arms. During the night the 
Union troops got safely across the Chickahominy, and once 
more the Army of the Potomac was reunited, on Malvern Hills, 
with the James River as a means of communication. IMcClel- 
lan meanwhile was alternating between the camp and the deck 
of the Galena, whither he went to confer with Commodore 
Rodgers, 



258 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

The approaches to Malvern Hills from Richmond and the 
Swamp had been covered by Porter's troops, and General 
Barnard had made other dispositions for defense by the 1st of 
July. On that day General Lee prepared to carry the position 
by storm, and had disposed Jackson, Ewell, Whiting and D. H. 
Hill on the left and Magruder and Huger on the right. The 
plan was to silence the batteries by a concentrated fire on the 
centre, and then, with a '' rebel yell" and a bold dash with fixed 
bayonets along the whole line, he expected to sweep the Federal 
troops into the James River. It did not happen just that way, 
howevei'. Charge after charge was made with absolute reck- 
lessness, but all without avail. Repulsed at every point, the 
Confederates fell back to the woods, but only to refoim and 
return to the attack. Thus the long afternoon and evening 
passed, until at length the coming to the front of Meagher's 
Irish Brigade, and a heavy cannonade from the gun-boats in 
the river completed the Confederate discomfiture, and they were 
driven in all directions, utterly demoralized. McClellan had been 
on board the Galena throughout the battle, and when towai'd 
evening, in response to urgent entreaties from Heintzelman, he 
appeared among the troops, it was merely to give orders for a 
further retrograde movement to Harrison's Landing. This 
position was occupied on July Sd, and meantime Lee had re- 
turned to Richmond, having lost nearly 19,000 men in the pre- 
vious forty days. The Federal losses from the time of the battle 
at Mechanics'S'ille amounted in killed and wounded and missing 
to over fifteen thousand. The failure of McClellan to capture 
Richmond had been irritating enough, but his rapid retreat still 
more incensed the President, and he determined on a personal 
inspection of the state of affairs. Arriving at Harrison's Land- 
ing he found at least 75,000 men unaccounted for, and it was 
with much difficulty that he learned ultimately that the major- 
ity had been granted furloughs wliile McClellan was clamoring 
for reinforcements. This did much toward imdermining the 
already waning confidence of the Administration. From this 
time forward, until tl:!0 otli of November, when McClellan was 
relieved of his command and superseded by General Burnside, 
the communications between the Washington authorities and 



m'clellan's increasing obstinacy. 



259 



McClellan were marked by querulous complaint on his side and 
kindly remonstrance on the part of the President. 

It had been more than suspected by the administration that 
the abandonment of the siege of Richmond would be followed 
by aggressive movements northward, by the Confederates, and 
that the Capital might be again threatened. To meet such a 
contingency Major-General John Pope had been placed in com- 
mand of the Army of Virginia, a new organization intended 
for the special protection of Washington and to co-operate 
when needful with the Army of the Potomac in the Peninsula. 
The new organization w^as divided into three corps under 
Major-Generals Sigel, Banks and McDowell. On assuming 
command on June 28th, General Pope placed himself in com- 
munication with McClellan, but the latter, who had previously 
declined to co-operate with McDowell, on the ground that he 
preferred to have sole direction, was so curt in his replies that, 
on the suggestion of Pope, General Halleck was made General- 
in-Chief over the two armies, and assumed command on July 
23d. Halleck personally inspected the condition of affairs at 
Harrison's Landing, and, having further satisfied himself that 
a Confederate movement northward was imminent, he ordered 
McClellan to withdraw from the Peninsula and concentrate 
his troops at Acquia Creek on the Potomac. This order was 
given on August 3d, but McClellan, with the obstinacy which 
had now become chronic, occupied some twenty days in carry- 
ing out these commands. 

We must now turn to the movements of General Pope, who 
assumed command of the Army of Virginia, in the field, on 
July 29. Prior to this he had sent General Ruf us King to break 
up the Central Virginia Railroad and General Banks to seize 
Culpepper Court House. Both these operations were accom- 
plished. General Hatch, however, had not been successful in 
an attempt to seize Gordonsville, and General John Buford was 
placed in command of Banks' cavalry. Hatch being relieved 
from his command. In the meantime the Confederates, finding 
that they had nothing more to fear from McClellan, began to 
push forward. Jackson crossed the Rapidan near Barnett's 
Ford, having been heavily reinforced, and drove the Federal 



260 



HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 



cavalry back on Culpepper. He then pushed on to Cedar Moun- 
tain, where he planted his batteries, and threw Early's Brigade, 
of Ewell's Division, forward on the Culpepper road. On the 9th 
of August, late in the afternoon, General Banks, with the di- 
visions of Generals Augur and Williams, led by General Geary, 
advanced upon Jackson's position. The Confederate force, how- 

ever, was more than 

double that of the 
attacking divisions, 
and after a fierce 
combat the Union 
troops were repulsed 
with heavy loss, the 
arrival of Ricketts' 
Division and, later, 
of Sigel's Corps, put- 
ting a stop to the 
advance of the 
flushed Confeder- 
ates. Two days 
later Jackson retired 
across the Rapidan. 
For some days after 
this there was sharp 
fightixig along the 
Rappahannock, the 
Confederates vainly 
endeavoring to cross. 
In the meantime 
General J. E. B. 
movements around 




RECONNOITERING. 



Stuart again executed one of his rapid 
Pope's army, but did not effect much by it. 

But a more important movement was in progress, for Jackson 
had rapidly and secretly carried out a flank movement, and 
crossing the Rappahannock at Hinson's Mill, pushed through 
Thoroughfare Gap, across Bull's Run Mountains, and being 
joined by Stuart's cavalry at Gainesville got in Pope's rear at 
Bristow Station, on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, on the 



STUART CAPTURES MANASSAS JUNCTION. 261 

evening of August 36th, and captured a couple of trains of cars 
before any intimation of his movements had reached Pope. Not 
content with this, he sent Stuart to Manassas Junction and that 
post was captured before midnight, several hundred prisoners 
and a large quantity of stores, etc. , becoming the spoils of the 
Confederates. Colonel Scammon with the Eleventh and 
Twelfth Ohio attempted to dislodge the intruders, but was 
driven back across Bull's Run, and during the fighting Brigadier- 
General George W. Taylor, who had moved rapidly out of 
Alexandria to support Scammon, lost a leg. The Confederates 
scoured the country, sweeping almost round to Centreville. 

Pope at once prepared to intercept Longstreet, and also made 
provision for the capture of Jackson's force at the Junction. 
The wily " Stonewall," however, was not to be trapped very 
easily. Therefore, after destroying most of the captured 
stores, he pushed by a devious route through to Centreville to 
effect a junction with Lee. By Pope's orders, Sigel should have 
left Gainesville at dawn, and Fitz John Porter was to have 
moved on Bristow's Station at one o'clock, but both were several 
hours behmd their appointed time, and Jackson had cleared out 
of Manassas Junction before Pope arrived there at noon. Mc- 
Dowell was at once sent in pursuit, but his forces encountered 
Ewell and Taliaferro near the Warrenton pike, and in a furious 
battle got the worst of the fight. The losses on each side were 
heavy, and Ewell lost a leg while Taliaferro was badly wounded. 
Pope had ordered Fitz John Porter up to Manassa=!, and expect- 
ing him there, sent orders for him to move on Centreville while 
Kearny pushed after Jackson. The attempt failed, for Long- 
street had quickened his movements and swept through 
Thoroughfare Gap, driving Ricketts' division back on Gaines- 
ville. On the morning of August 29th, Pope found that his 
plans were frustrated and there was little hope of hindering the 
concentration of the Confederates. He determined on an im- 
mediate advance. He ordered Sigel and Reynolds to advance 
from Groveton and attack Jackson at dawn ; Heintzelmanwith 
Hooker's and Kearny's divisions was to push on from Centre- 
ville to Gainesville, while Porter moved from Manassas to turn 
Jackson's flank and fall on his rear near the Warrenton pike. 



362 HISTORY OF THE CIVHi WAB. 

But the whole of Lee's army had got through Thoroughfare 
Gap, and Sigel with tJie divisions of Carl Schurz, Schenck and 
Milroy was engaged in a desperate fight from seven o'clock in 
the morning till noon, when Hooker arrived to aid them. About 
four o'clock in the afternoon General Pope sent an order to Fitz 
John Porter directing him to attack and turn the Confederate 
right, Heintzelman and Eeno being instructed to make a simul- 
taneous assault on tho left and front. Porter failed to advance, 
and the whole movement was frustrated. 

[We must turn aside to consider this episode, since it has been one of ab- 
sorbing interest for the past few years ; has awakened keen anxiety and 
severe scrutiny among civilians and military men ; has evoked passionate 
political prejudice and personal pique of most pronounced character, and 
has placed on record some very prominent persons, whose actions, beneath 
the calcium light of public opinion, must tend to invest them with tho halo 
of honesty or the stigma of self-earned concentrated contempt. Foremost 
among these, on the credit side of the account, are Generals U. S. Grant, 
ex-President of the United States, and General Sewell, U.S. Senator from 
New Jersey; and on the debit side. General Chester A. Arthur, President of 
tho United States, and General Logan, expectant Vica President of the 
United States. To these names may probably be added that of Robert Todd 
Lincoln, Secretary of AVar. 

Let us look to the facts: In the first place, it has been demoQstrated that 
Pope's " FOUR o'clock order" did not reach Porter until dusk, some hours 
later, when it was too late to make any attempt to execute it. In the nexc 
place. Pope was under tho impression that Longstreet had not gained his 
position on Jackson's risht when the order was sent; in this Pope was in 
error, while Porter, better informed, Icnew that the dreaded junction had 
been effected by midday, four hours before Pope sent out his instructions. 
Porter knew further, and tho world knows now, that, even had the order 
been delivered in due time, it could not have been successfully executed, as 
the force in front of liim was overwhelming, instead of being, as Pope sur- 
mised, small and scattered. That such are the facts of the case can be 
proven by the statements of General Longstreet and the careful researches 
of General Grant, which led that somewhat stubborn, but gallant and honest 
soldier, to admit the error of his previous hasty judgment. However, set- 
ting aside even these facts, and Fitz" John Porter's knowledge of them, 
the whole tenor of his military record forbids even the surmise that he 
would have hesitated to advance, from any consideration of personal risk, 
had the order been delivered at a period compatible with a military com- 
mon-sense view of an obligaiion to obey it. The plain truth is that he did 
not receive tho order until, by any possible construction of it, all its com- 
mands had been vacated or abrogated by tlie changed condition of affairs, 
While implicit obedience is a soldier's duty, at any risk, when obedience can 



THE FITZ JOHN PORTER CASE. 263 

be rendered in actual accordance with orders, yet it must bo admitted that 
an attempt to execute a delayed order, merely a-? a matter of Don Quixotic 
discipline, to the certain sacrifice of valuable lives and costly property, v/ould 
have been a piece of criminal folly, justly resulting in tho severe punishment 
wnich Fitz John Porter has for sd many years unjustly endured for being 
actually well informed, sensible and patriotic. "\Vc are forced to this indig- 
nant disclaimer by thj immediate presence of the yet fouler wrong, which, 
atthis writing (July ,'}d, 1884), has just been thrust upon this much-abused 
mihtaryman. After many years of struggle and much parliamentary in- 
trigue, the outspoken indignation of a generous public forced a tardy 
acknowledgment from its Congressional i-eprcsentatives of the wrong which 
the nation had put on a faithful servant. Wo all know how slov»^ly the act 
of Congressional justice, which was intended to restore Fitz John Porter to 
the army muster-roll, was reached; we all know how Chester A. Arthur dal- 
lied with the measure for nearly the statutory ten days; we may suspect 
how he induced his Pennsylvania Attorney-Genei-al to furnish him with a 
legal quibble on which to base a veto message: but we can be certain that 
this technical veto, which only a Kepublican Senate sustained, was a cruel 
reversal of that honest judgment, on appeal, by the highest authority of the 
nation, of a conviction and sentence arrived at by an ignorant or malicious 
mihtary tribunal during a period of doubt and discord. We may be era- 
phaiic, but we are sincere.] 

With an apology for this digression we will again fall into 
line, and follow up the battle of Groveton. The non-arrival of 
Porter, and the aggressive movements of Heintzelman and 
Reno, drew upon these gallant officers the full tide of battle. 
Brilliant bayonet charges and stubborn onslaughts were fre- 
quent, and the railway embankment on the Confederate left was 
captured, Kearny's dauntless boys had succeeded in driving 
A. P. Hill from the left and forcing this part of the Confederate 
line backward for some distance. Longstreet's troops, however, 
poured in to Jackson's aid and turned the scale. The fire-eating 
Texans, under the dashing Hood, j)ressed forward and forced 
Kearny back just before dark, capturing several prisoners, a 
few flags and one gun. When night fell on this scene of carnage, 
it is estimated that not less than fourteen thousand men, about 
equally divided between the opposing forces, had bitten the dust 
or were badly maimed. 

In the events of the next day, August 30th, may perhaps be 
found some explanation of Pope's bitterness in the Fitz John 
Porter matter, for a renewal of the fighting with his fatigued 
and dispirited troops in front of an enemy comparatively fresh 



364 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

and receiving constant augmentations can only be considered a 
brave man's blunder. Pope, Iiovvever, had relied upon assist- 
ance from McClellan until too late to retreat effectively with- 
out a battle. In that battle Fitz John Porter proved that he did 
not shirk lighting. McClellaa in his recent role of "the most 
promising young man of the period " had failed to forward 
either men, rations or forage, and now promised to furnish the 
latter needs, on condition that a cavalry escort should be dis- 
patched from Pope's weakened forces. With the desperation 
almost of despair, Pope prepared to attack Lee's left, and the 
fact that Lee was contemplating a similar compliment to him 
led Pope into another error. The withdrawal of Lee from one 
part of his line seemed an indication of retreat, and Porter was 
sent with the advance along Warrenton pike, while Reno, 
Heinlzelman and Ricketts were to fall on the left of the sup- 
poed fugitives. In attempting this the intruding pursuers 
came upon an ambushed, heavy force of Confederates who 
opened a terrible fusilade. Just then a movement on the left 
indicated the approach of another large body of the enemy, and 
Reynolds was hastily detached from Porter's support to go to 
the aid of Milroy and Schenck. Porter, thus imperiled, stub- 
bornly withstood the shock of battle till Colonel G. K. Warren 
voluntarily went to his aid with his gallant little band of one 
thousand men and Buchanan's Brigade of regulars. Porter's 
command rendered very efficient service, and for a time Jack • 
son was forced slowly back. But the odds were against the 
Union forces. Longstreet's busy batteries and the heavy im- 
pact of his masses of troops, together with the dashing charges 
of Hood's fearless Texans and the resistless advance of five di- 
visions under Evans, Anderson, Wilcox, Kemper and Jones, 
completed the discomfiture of Popj's army. It was a forced 
retreat, but not a rout. Still, so heavy liad been the blow that 
during the night, unperceived or at any rate unpursued, Pope's 
entire force crossed Bull's Run by the stone bridge and took up 
a position on Centre ville Heights. Here he was reinforced by 
Franklin and Sumner, making up his force to about 60,000 men. 
Lee, however, gave him but little rest, for on September 1 
StonewaU Jackson with his own and Ewell's divisions had 



GENERAL PHIL KEARNY KILLED. 265 

crosse 1 Bull Run and was moving on Fairfax Court House. An 
attempt to thwart this movement led to another serious engage- 
ment, in which General Isaac J. Stevens, leading Reno's Second 
Division, and the intrepid "Phil" Kearny, were both shot 
dead. The resultant confusion was somewhat remedied by a 
furious bayonet charge of Birney's Division, which drove the 
Confederates back and left Birney in jDossession of the battle- 
field of Chantilly. The total losses of Pope's Army from the 
battle of Cedar Mountain to that just described have been esti- 
mated at 30,000 in killed, wounded and missing or captured. 
In addition to Kearny and Stevens, there were killed in this 
last fight Colonel Fletcher Webster, son of Colonel Webster; 
Major Tilden, Thirty-eighth New York ; Colonels Broadhead, 
O'Connor, Cantwell and Brown. Colonel (xeorge W. Pratt, 
Twentieth New York, was mortally wounded, and Major-Gen- 
eral Schenck and Colonel Hardin, Pennsylvania Reserves, were 
also severely wounded. 

On September 2d Pope's shattered forces retired v\ ithin the 
lines around Washington. General Pope, disheartened and dis- 
gusted by the inexplicable conduct of McClellan in withholding 
prompt aid, and the consequent reverses he had endured, applied 
to be relieved of his command, and this being granted, the 
Army of Virginia was merged in that of the Potomac. 

On the same day that Pope's army retired, Lee was reinforced 
by D. II. Hill's Division, and then began the invasion of Mary- 
land by the Confederates, the Potomac being crossed at the 
Point of Rocks. Leo established his camp near Frederick, and 
thence issued on September 8th a proclamation inviting the 
citizens of Maryland to join in the rebellion. Although art- 
fully and boastfully worded, this proclamation proved power- 
less to procure panderers to the secession schemes. 

The boldness of Lee's advance, however, caused considerable 
apprehension, and McClellan made haste to protect the imperiled 
Capital. It was not Lee's intention to attack so strong a posi- 
tion just at that time, but he hoped that by drawing McClellan 
from the lines at Washington, under the feint of a descent on 
Pennsylvania, the chances of war might afford an opportunity 
for a successful attack either on Baltimore or Washington. 



266 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

The draft of Lee's plans fell into McClellan's hands when the 
Confederate rear guard was driven out of Frederick, and the 
Union General had therefore an immense advantage. Tlie 
scheme involved the capture of Harper's Ferry, thus opening 
up direct communication with Eichmond through the valley 
of the Shenandoah. Acting on the information thus obtained, 
McClellan was expected to push on and thwart the Confederate 
schemes, but to the indignation of General Halleck, he actually 
proposed the abandonment of the Capital even, in order to give 
him what he deemed a necessary force with which to take the 
field. Despite his uneasiness, however, he organized an ener- 
getic pursuit, and on September 14th the Confederates were 
astounded to find nearly the whole of McClellan's forces 
advancing toward their positions at Turner's Gap, Crampton's 
Gap and South Mountain, the former of which was held by 
D. H. Hill's Division. As soon as the position of the enemy 
had been ascertained, Reno ordered an assault, and by noon 
the battle of South Mountain had became a serious engage- 
ment. By this time Longstreet had come to Hill's assistance, 
and there were about 30,000 Confederates holding the position. 
The Union forces were also reinforced by the arrival of the 
divisions of Wilcox, Rodman, Sturgis and Hooker corps. The 
fighting soon became general along the whole line, the Federal 
troops pressing steadily up the steep ascent. By nightfall the 
Confederates had been driven from their position, but the 
gallant General Reno had been killed and General Hatch 
badly wounded. Meanwhile General Franklin had dislodged 
the Confederate force holding Crampton's Gap and driven 
them down the "Western slope. 

While these movements were in progress the indefatigable 
Jackson had crossed the Potomac at Williamsport, occupied 
Martinsburg and then pushed on to Harper's Ferry. On Sep- 
tember loth he was preparing to invest the Ferry, and during 
the same day the Confederates under McLaws had captured 
Maryland Heights, and Walker was in possession of London 
Heights. A vigorous attack on Harper's Ferry followed next 
day. Colonel D. H. Miles was in command, assisted by General 
Julius White, who had brought his troops in from Martins- 



THE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM. 267 

burg. After sustaining a terrible bombardment Miles decided 
to surrender, but was killed while exhibiting a flag of truce 
All avenues of escape had been closed, and General White 
witli 12,000 men, became prisoners of war. 

After the repulse on South Mountain Lee withdrew and took 
took up a position in Antietam Valley, near the creek, on Sep- 
tember 15th McClellan hesitated over an immediate attack, 
and Lee took advantage of this by a show of force which de- 
layed the Federal advance until Jackson, McLaws and Walker 
had jomed him. During the 15th there were one or two sharp 
outlymg engagements, but both armies were actually preparing 
for the Battle of Antietam-one of the most sanguinary struggles 
of the War. At dawn on the 16th the Confederates began artil- 
lery practice, but McClellan was not ready to respond. It 
should be noted that Antietam Creek was spanned by four stone 
bridges: No. 1, at the crossing of the Keedysville and Williams- 
port road, was the uppermost bridge ; No. 2, some two miles 
below, was on the Keedysville and Sharpsburg pike ; No 3 
wasontheRohersvilleand Sharpsburg road, one mile below 
No. 2 and Sharpsburg ; No. 4 was on the Sharpsburg and Harp- 
er s Ferry road near the mouth of the creek. McClellan's lines 
on the east side of the Antietam extended on the right from 
Keedysville where Sumner and Hooker were stationed ; Gen- 
eral Pachardson's Division of Sumner's Corps was nearer the 
centre and nearer the stream on the right of the Sharpsburg 
pike ; on the left, protecting bridge No. 2, was Sykes' Division 
o± Porter s Corps ; Burnside's Corps was near bridge No 3. On 
the hill crests above the bridges, east of the creek, were planted 
batteries, and on Red Pidge, a spur of South Mountain, Major 
Myers (;' Old Probs"), of the Signal Corps, had arranged a sig- 
nal s.ation, and, bemg enabled to survey the entire battle-field 
was of inestimable service in communicating intelligence of 
every movement to McClellan's headquarters, which were in a 
private residence two miles northeast of Sharpsbur- 

At 2 P. M on the 16th McClellan sent Hooker over bridge No. 
1 with the divisions of Ricke.ts, Meade and Doubleday, to turn 
the Confederate loft. Hooker fell heavily on General Hood, and 
alter a sharp engagement the Confederates were driven back 



268 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

half a mile, in the direction of Sharpsburg. During the evening 
General Mansfield's Corps crossed in Hooker's rear and biv- 
ouacked. 

At dawn on the 17th both armies were ready for battle, and 
Hooker, with some 18,000 men, made a vigorous attack on 
Stonewall Jackson's left. Hooker pressed Jackson heavily, sus- 
tained by a gallin;^ fire from the batteries east of the creek, and 
finally the Confederates were driven from the first line of 
woods. Hooker then pushed forward to seize the Hagerstown 
road, but Jackson, now reinforced by Hood's troops, fell on 
Meade, who led the advanced centre. The battle became 
furious, and a brigade under General Hartsuff went to Meade's 
assistance, while General Mansfield advanced to the support of 
Hooker. The ground was stubbornly contested, and at the time 
that Hartsuff fell, sevcjrely wounded, the gallant General Mans- 
field was also mortally hurt. Hooker was also so severely 
■wounded in the foot that at nine o'clock he was removed to 
McClellan's headquarters, leaving Sumner in command. The 
battle had been raging some three hours before McClellan 
turned out; he had made his dispositioasthe previous night and 
retired to bed early. Ifc was but a sample of the Commander- 
in-Chief's sublime trust in Providence, and furnishes a key to 
much of his leisurely, methodical movements, by which many 
an opportunity for dash and enterprise was hopelessly wasted. 

General Sumner, on taking command at nine o'clock, sent 
General Sedgwick to support the attack on Jackson and Hood. 
These were steadily falling back when McLaws, Walker and 
Early came to their support, and piercing the Federal lines, 
compelled a retrograde movement, until Doubleday checked 
the Confederate advance. During the fierce combat, Generals 
Dana, Crawford and Sedgwick were wounded, the latter so 
severely that he turned over his command to General O. O. 
Howard. About nooji, McClellan sent Franklin to the support 
of Howard on the right, and then a few dashing charges re- 
covered the lost ground. In the meantime, General French 
had been hotly engaged with Hill's Brigades in the centre, 
while Richardson's Division moved forward on the left of 
French, Meagher's gallant brigade fighting an uphill battle in 



THE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM. 269 

face of a furious fire. The Confederates were driven back to a 
sunken road, but Hill being reinforced by R. H. Anderson 
with some four thousand fresh troops, made an attempt to turn 
the Federal left. This was repulsed, but while Richardson 
was directing the fire of one of the batteries he fell, fatally 
wounded. General Winfield Scott Hancock took command, 
and, in a desperate charge, drove the Confederates from their 
position. General Meagher was wounded and carried from 
the field. The Federals then rrsted on the Sharpsburg road, 
and at nightfall were holding that position. 

We have seen that Burnside was posted near Bridge No. 3. 
This was held on the west side by the Brigade of General Robert 
Toombs, of Georgia, and he was supported by batteries on 
heights behind and by the sharpshooters of Longstrcet's Divi- 
sion. Burnside's orders were to cross that bridge early in the 
.nornicg, storm the heights and then move along them to 
Sharpsburg. Repulsed at several attempts — for it was a hercu- 
lean task — Burnside finally accomplished his purpose soon after 
noon, but was almost immediately driven back by A. P. Hill's 
division coming up from Harper's Ferry. At the bridge the 
Confederate advance was checked by the coming up of the 
Federal reserves under General Sturgis, and when night fell 
Burnside was holding his position on the west bank of the 
Antietam. Night closed the carnage and drew a sable veil 
over a sickening scene, practically of no advantage to either 
of the combatants. The Federal losses were stated by McCIellan 
at 12,469 men, of whom 2,010 were killed. The Confederate 
loss was undoubtedly much greater; but, with customary cau- 
tion, Lee avoided making an official report. There is but little 
doubt, however, that up to this time he had lost by the invasion 
of Maryland some thirty thousand men, of whom some six 
thousand had been taken prisoners. His losses in war material 
were also heavy, the Federals having captured some 15,000 
small arms, thirteen guns, thirty-nine battle-flags and large 
quantities of stores. He was consequently in no condition to 
reneVe the combat on the 18th, and McCIellan, despite the ar- 
rival of Generals Humphreys and Couch with some 14,000 fresh 
troops, took a gloomy view of the situation, almost "sulked 



270 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

like Achilles in his tent," and, in opposition to the advice of 
Franklin and several other generals, ho wasted the 18th in 
masterly inactivity. Lee, however, did not miss his oppor- 
tunity; he knew that McClellan would wake up some time or 
other, and he withdrew his shattered legions across the Poto- 
mac into Virginia, and left Pt ndleton on the river bluffs with 
eight heavy batteries to check pursuit. On the morning of the 
19th McClellan found that his foe had escaped him, and in the 
course of the day he ordered a sortie on the Confederate bat- 
teries by the brigades of Generals Griffin and Barnes. A few 
guns were captured, but the movement was unimportant. 
Next day part of Porter's brigade, while making a recon- 
Hoissancc were surprised by an ambushed force of Confeder- 
ates, under A. P. Hill, and driven back across the river, losing 
two hundred men, who were taken prisoners. General J. E. 
B. Stuart's cavalry kept hovering around to cover Lee's retreat, 
and even recrossed the river at Williamsport, but were checked 
by General Couch. Lee had meantime reached Martinsburg, 
leisurely destroying sections of railroad, and then moved up 
the Shenandoah Valley toward Bunker's Hill and Winchester. 
McClellan's force had not been quite idle, for General Williams 
had retaken Maryland Heights, and Sumner, having occupied 
Harper's Ferry, liad thrown pontoon bridges over the Potomac 
and Shenandoah by the 22d of September. 

McClellan now began the manufacture of the last straw which 
was to break the camel's back of Lincoln's patience. He began 
clamoring for reinforcements, and announced that he should 
rest his troops and hold his position, so as to prevent the enemy 
from returning into Maryland. In vain President Lincoln 
insisted upon energy and action, for it was not until October 26th 
that McClellan began to cross the Potomac at Berlin, and then 
instead of chasing L-c along the west side of the Blue Ridge, 
he proposed to move southward on the east bide. This move- 
ment somewhat changed the Confederate plans, and closely 
followed by Generals Sedgwick and Hancock, they commenced 
retreating along the Shenandoah Valley, evidently making for 
Richmond. Lee had meanwhile sent Longstreet rapidly in 
advance, and by a dexterous movement his troops crossed the 



m'clellan relieved of hib cjommand. 271 

Blue Ridge,. and massing at Culpeper Court-House, placed a 
heavy force between the Army of the Potomac and Richmond. 
On November Gth McClellan had his headquarters at Rectortown, 
near Front Royal, and the whole of his army, including the 
divisions of Generals Sigel end Sickles, vv^ho had been Bcnt from 
Washington to join liim, occupied the whole region east of the 
Blue Ridge. But the grand opportunity had been lost, and 
McClellan's failure to pierqo the gaps of the Blue Ridge, and 
with his hundred thousand men complete the demoralization 
of Lee's forces, finally lost him the confidence of the Adminis- 
tration. Ho had been pampered like a pet child, reasoned with 
as a willful school-boy, and chidcd as an obstinate man, but all 
to no purpose. On November 5th the "War Department issued 
an order relieving him from his command, aiid superseding 
him by General A. E. Burnside. This order reached McClellan on 
the evening of November ?th, while he was still hesitating over 
his plans. The blow liad fallen at last. Here for a while we 
will leave the Army of the Potomac and resume consideration 
of its movements under Burnside in a later chapter. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

AFFAIRS IN KENTUCKY AND MISSISSIPPI— GUERRILLA MORGAN'S RAIDS — THE CON- 
FEDEHATIZS CAPTURE LEXINGTON AND I'RA^JKITORT— BRAGG RETREATS INTO 
TIINNESSEE— GENERAL EUELL RELIEVED— GENERAL ROSECRAN3 IN COMMAND 
OF THE ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND— THE BATTLES AT MURFREESBORO — SOME 
VERY HEAVY FIGHTING. 

We must now summarize the movements in Kentucky and 
Mississippi. The Confederates, though driven from Kentucky, 
were not disposed to consider their repulse as fmal. On July 
4th, 1862, John Morgan, the Confederate guerrilla cavalryman, 
left Knoxville, East Tennessee, and with 1,200 troopers well nigh 
as reckless as himself, crossed the Cumberland Mountains and 
the southeastern border of Kentucky to begin his notorious 
raids. His operations being those of a bandit, as a matter of 
course he vras an imperious master, prompt ferocity supply- 
ing the place of legitimate authority. Upon one occasion he 
ordered a trooper to perform some deed of especial risk, but the 
man, after delay, replied to an inquiry as to whether the order 
was understood, " Yes, Captain ; but I cannot obey." Morgan 
turned and shot him dead, with the remark: ''Then good-by !" 
warning the others that such would be the penalty to all 
who disobeyed orders. Morgan proceeded to issue his com- 
mands as if nothing unusual had happened. His subsequent 
orders received prompt attention. On July 9th , at Tompkins vi He, 
Monroe County, he captured Major Jordan and several of a 
detachment of Pennsylvania cavalry, killing and scattering 
the rest. It was a sharp fight, and Colonel Hunt, who was with 
Morgan, was killed. Morgan then issued a proclamation call- 
ing upon the Secessionists of Kentucky to greet the "libera- 
tors" of whom he was the herald. Several recruits flocked 
to Morgan's standard dazzled by his dash and daring. Thus re- 
cruited ho attacked and defeated Lieutenant-Colonel John::on at 
Lebanon, capturing several prisoners. He next destroyed the 
railway bridge between Cynthiana and Paris, and then on July 
I7th, he scattered a force of Home Guards at Cynthiana under 



CONFEDERATE CAVALRY RAIDS. 273 

Lieutenant-Colonel Landrum. In the attack, however, he suf- 
fered losses of men fully equal to those he Inflicted. Cincinnati 
was his next objective point, but General Green Clay Smith was 
moving to meet him with a superior force and Morgan fell back 
southwest by way of Richmond. In the meantime General N. 
B Forrest, another Confederate cavalryman, was harrying Ten- 
nessee and m iking threatening raids and demonstrations near 
Murfreesboro and Nashville'. These movements were evidently 
designed to distract attention and divide the Federal forces as 
much as possible, for while they were in progress two heavy 
Confederate divisions under General Bragg and General E. 
Kirby Smith, entered Kentucky from East Tennessee. This 
expedition included the corps of Generals W. J. Hardee and 
Leonidas Polk. On August 30th, General Smith reached Rich- 
mond, and after preliminary skirmishing dispersed the Federal 
forces under General Manson, who was taken prisoner with 
several of his men. Pressing on, Smith captured Lexington 
and then Frankfort. He was pressing on for Louisville or Cin- 
cinnati, but was checked by the vigorous movements of Major- 
General Lewis Wallace, who, arriving in Cincinnati on Sep- 
tember 1st, promptly proclaimed martial law in Cincinnati, 
Covington and Newport, and assembling the citizens, put some 
to work on intrenchments while at the same time he mustered 
an effective fighting force to aid in defensive operations. These 
measures disconcerted Smith in this direction, and he organized 
a city government at Frankfort, while waiting to effect a junc- 
tion with Bragg. 

Meanwhile General Bragg had advanced from Chattanooga 
toward Louisville, and on September 14th his advance under 
General Duncan appeared before Mumfordsville, where the 
railroad crosses the Green River, and demanded the surrender 
of the position from Colonel T. J. W ilder. This was refusf d, and 
the next day an assault on the works was made. The Con- 
federates were repulsed, but awaited the arrival of Bragg. 
When his main body came up on the 16th the battle was re- 
newed. Wilder fought stubbornly all day, expecting aid from 
Buell ; but this did not arrive, and at 2 o'clock on the morning 
of the 17th he surrendered with 4,500 men to a force of about 



274 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

65,000 Confederates. From this point Bragg moved northward, 
and formed a junction with Smitli at Frankfort on October 1st. 
Here he paused long enough to appoint ex-Congressman Rich- 
ard Hawes Provisional Governor of Kentucky and to plunder 
the neighborhood c;f supplies of every kind, though a pretense 
was made of payment by the tender of Confederate scrip. The 
loyal citizens, terrorized by these outrages, appealed to the 
National Government for aid, and Buell hastened to their re- 
lief. Bragg was apparently heading for Louisville, and on the 
15th of September Buell left Nashville with about 100,000 men, 
and hastened to intercept him. The Federal forces gained the 
race for Louisville by one day, and then, on October 1st, Gen- 
eral Buell (who had been temporarily suspended because of 
seeming lack of energy and reinstated on express c )nditions) 
divided his army into three divisions, under Generals Gilbert, 
Crittenden and IMcCook, and began to move on Bragg. General 
George H. Thomas, Buell's second in command, led the right 
wing. Bragg fell back to Springfield, skirmisliing all the time 
to cover the retreat into Tennessee of a train of four thousand 
wagons laden with Kentucky spoils of which the " liberators" 
had reUeved the ''to-be-liberated" from personal control. It 
was the old story of the wolf acting as shepherd. 

In the meantime Kirby Smith liad quitted Frankfort and had 
concentrated with Bragg near Pcrryville. General Buell be- 
coming aware of this movement, at once went with the centre 
division under Gilbert in that direction, and on the evening of 
October 7th had a skirmish with the Confederates, driving them 
back about three miles. The next day there was hard fighting 
along all the line, lasting till nightfall, when the Confederates 
were repulsed at all points. During the night the Confederates 
retreated to Harrodsburg and thence into East Tennes ee, their 
rear being covered by General Polk and the cavalry of General 
Wheeler. An ineffectual pursuit was begun, but the Federal 
troops were too lato to strike an effective blow, and returned to 
Columbia, whence the main army, under General Thomas, was 
dispatched to Nashville. This unsatisfactory campaign resulted 
m Buell being relieved of his command. He was superseded by 
Major-General Rosecrans, and the name of the army was changed 



ARMY OF THE CUMBERLAND CREATED. 275 

from that of the Ohio to that of " The Army of the Cumber- 
land." 

We will trace the movements of General Rosecrans in Mis- 
sissippi later in this chapter, but now will continue the thread 
of the Kentucky campaign from the time when he assumed 
command on October 3Cth. , He found the army utterly de- 
moralized and about one-third of its nominal strength absent, 
either ou furlough or missing. Immediate steps were taken 
toward reorganization. In the mean'ime Bragg, finding that 
he was not pursued, halted at Murfreesboro, thirty miles 
southeast from Nashville, and began to concentrate for an 
attack on that city ; but Rosecrans, more prompt than Buell, 
had anticipated such a movement, and on November 4th General 
McCook's Division moved in the direction of Nashville, and was 
just in time to repulse a demonstration of the Confederates 
with cavalry and artillery under General Forrest. The main 
body of the Army of the Cumberland moved up shortly after, 
and for some six weeks General Rosecrans remained there 
making preparations for a powerful attack on Murfreesboro. 
During the remainder of November and the early jiart of De- 
cember there were many engagements with varying success. 

At djwu on December 26th, however, the decisive forward 
movement was begun from Nashville. The Federal force was 
arranged to move as follows : General McCook with three 
divisions, 15,933 men, along the Nolensville pike to Triune ; 
General Thomas, with two divisions, 13,395 men, by the Franklin 
and Wilson's Creek pike ; and Crittenden, with three divisions, 
13,288 men, on the Murfreesboro pike, toward Lavergne. As 
the Federal troops advanced the Confederates fell back, but 
made a stand at Stone's River, a short distance northwest of 
Murfreesboro, and on the night of December 39th the two 
armies were facing each other and ready for battle. General 
Rosecrans had planned to mass his forces on the left and crush 
the Confederate right wing, under Breckinridge. Gen( ral 
Bragg, on the other hand, contemplated the exact counterpart 
of Rosecrans' design, and had massed his men on the left, under 
Hardee. These began the battle on the moining of December 
31st, and unexpectedly and heavily fell upon McCook's Division 



376 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

almost before dawn. The assault was bravely met, but before 
noon the Federal right wing had been turned and Bragg's 
cavalry had reached the rear of Rosecrans' position. McCook's 
early calls for help had been unheeded, and Generals Sheridan 
and J. C. Davis, assaulted on front, flank and rear, were com- 
pelled to fall back. The brunt of the battle now fell on General 
Thomas, and despite fierce assaults and a galling artillery fire, 
the position was held while Rosecrans readjusted his line of 
battle. Meanwliile a furious onslaught was made on Palmer's 
Division, holding the right of the National left wing, and which 
had been exposed by the driving back of Negley's Division. 
But for sublime heroism the day would have been lost to the 
Federal arms, and this was supplied by Acting Brigadier-Gen- 
eral William B. Hazen, who, with only thirteen hundred men, 
sustained and repulsed the shock of several thousands of the 
Confederate troops. This bold stand enabled Eosecrans to 
carry out his fresh dispositions, and at nightfall the Federal 
lines were completely reconstructed. The losses, however, had 
been heavy, nearly 7,000 men being missing from the ranks. 
Brigadier-General Willich was a prisoner ; Brigadier-Generals 
Sill, Schaeffer and Roberts had been killed; Generals Kirk, Wood 
and Van Cleve were disabled by wounds, and ten colonels, ten 
lieutenant-colonels and six majors were missing. The Con- 
f edei'ates held possession of a large portion of the battle ground 
and had captured one-fifth of Rosecrans' artillery. 

The Confederates expected that Rosecrans would retreat, 
but when the morning of January 1st, 1863, dawned, and Bragg 
found the Federal forces in battle array, his confidence began 
to wane. During that day there was little beyond skirmishing 
attempted on either side. During the night Bragg planted some 
heavy batteries and opened fire on the morning of January 2d 
heavily on Hascall's division. These batteries were soon 
silenced, but there was heavy skirmishing along the front. At 
a council of general oflacers, held by Gt neral Rosecrans after 
the battle of December 31st, it had been decided that the plan of 
turning Bragg's right and taking Murfreesboro should be per- 
sisted in, notwithstanding the discouragement of the previous 
engagement. Accordingly, Van Cleve's Division had been rein- 



bragg's rapid retreat. 377 

forced by one of Palmer's brigades, and Rosecrans was person- 
ally superintending the disposition of the troops about noon of 
January 2d, when a heavy Confederate force, consisting of three 
columns of infantry and three batteries, Breckinridge's entire 
command, came out of the woods, and by sheer force of num- 
bers threw the Federals into utter confusion. They recrossed 
the river, followed by the exultant Confederates, whose num- 
bers were constantly added to. The pursuit, however, was 
checked by the murderous fire of Crittenden's batteries on the 
opposite bluffs, and then began a terrific artillery duel. At 
length, a furious charge of the Seventy-eighth Pennsylvania, 
Eighteentli, Twenty-first and Seventy-fourth Ohio, Nineteenth 
Illinois, Thirty-seventh Indiana and Eleventh Michigan, drove 
the Confederates from their position with the loss of over two 
thousand men. By the time darkness set in the Confederates 
were utterly routed. During the next day the arrival of a 
Federal ammunition train enabled Rosecrans to make arrange- 
ments for a further attack, but on the night of the 3d Bragg 
slipped away through Murf reesbro, and on January 5th was at 
TuUahoma. In his precipitated retreat he left some two 
thousand sick and wounded in the hospitals. General Thomas 
advanced to Murfreesboro and drove out the Confederate rear 
guard, but the Federal cavalry force was insufficient to justify 
vigorous pursuit. General Rosecrans made his headquarters in 
the village, and here we will leave him, for the present, having 
covered the operations in this section up to and beyond the close 
of 1862. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

THE BATTLE OF lUKA— MOVEMENTS AROUND CORINTH— GRANT'S COMMUNICATION 
SEVERED AT HOLLY SPRINGS— GENERAL SHERMAN AT MEMPHIS — THE ATTACK 
ON VICKSBURQ — FAILURE OF THE MOVEMENT— EURNSIDE VflTH THE ARMY O ?" 
THE POTOMAC— ABORTIVE ATTACK ON FREDERICKSBURG — BURNSIDE RELIEVED 
OF HIS COMMAND. 

During September, 1862, there were some vigorous move- 
ments in Mississippi. On the 19th the battle of luka was fought. 
This Avas a little village on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad, 
in Tishamingo County, and a large amount of National stores 
had been collected there. The Confederate General Sterling 
Price had moved suddenly on this point and, capturing the 
stores, made his headquarters there. General Grant sent two 
columns under Generals Rosecrans and Ord to dislodge him. 
General Ord's instructions were to wait until he heard Rose- 
crans engaged, and then to go to his support. All through the 
19th Ord was within four miles of luka, but did not hear the 
battle sounds, and therefore Rosecrans had an uphill fight. 
However, he defeated Price, who suffered a loss in killed and 
wounded of over 800, and about one thousand were taken pris- 
oners. Over sixteen hundred stand of arms and a large amount 
of ammunition also fell into Rosecrans' possession. During the 
night following the battle Price fled southward, and succeeded 
in forming a junction with Van Dorn on September 28th. 

In the meantime General Rosecrans had taken post at Corinth 
with 20.000 men, and General Grant, with the remainder of the 
Federal forces, had moved toward Jackson, Tennessee. Per- 
ceiving, as they thought, an opportunity to profit by the division 
of the army, the Confederate Generals Price and Van Dorn, 
the latter in chief command, moved their combined forces to 
attack Corinth. On October 3d the attack commenced, and a 
stubborn battle, lasting two days, ensued. By noon on the 4th, 
however, the Confederate attack had been completely repulsed, 
and before night they were in full retreat southward. 

The fatigued Federal forces were reinforced that evening by 



THE BATTLE OP lUKA. ■'"' 



the arrival of General McPherson with five fresh regi_ment8, 
l^dThLe started in pm-suit earl, on the -rn -g o , ^^ *^ 
At this tune another division, under General Huilbut Had 
^mck VarDorn's troops near Pocahontas, and drove them 
acTss ur^Hatchee River. McPherson's troops came up next 
daj, and t\e retreating Confederates were foUowed to R.pley, 

when Grant recalled his troops. r^^^artment 

On October 16th, a General Order of the War Department 
extended the department commanded by «-;-! ^-^*'„^^°f,^ 
was called the Department of the Tennessee, ^^ f"^^^^^"^ 
atJacteon. Grant promptly made f<'^\ ^lff'°l''^f ^Z- 
mand, assigning General W. T. Sherman to the d.staict of Mem 
XsGeneral S. A. Hurlbut to that of Jackson, General S. C 
Hamilton to hat of Corinth, and General T. A. Dav.es to that 
^f^C—r we have seen that General Kosecrans bad b^n 
recalled to take the command of the Army of the CumberUnd. 
There were several small battles at vanous pomts during Octo 
bpv but the main obiect of Grant's campaign just then was tne 
Sture of vXburg. To this end he moved his headquarters 
on November 4th from Jackson to La Grange, a few miles west 
rf Giand Junction, on the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. 
McPherson was ent forward and the Confederates were 
praised back to Holly Sprmgs. At tliis point General Gnin 
established a depot for arms and ^W^^^^^/^^^ 
maud being intrusted to Colonel R. C. Murphy The maan 
S-my was ft Oxford, the capital of Lafayette County. On 
De^Inler 20th Van Do,n with his Confederate cavalry dashed 
uwn Holly Springs, then containing about four million dol ars 
Xtti of stores, a°nd captured everything^ He remained there 
a few hours, blew up the arsenal, burned the public property, 
paroled Mui^hy and his thousand men who had surrendered, 
Td hen quitted the place and made several threatening 
demonstratlns along Grant's Imes. The most -nousf ect 
however was the cutting of Grant's commumcation and 
fordnghim to faU back to Grand Junction. This retrograde 
movement allowed General Pemberton to concentrato las 
Tops atVicksbu.g to meet the attack which Sherman was 
planning. 



280 



HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 



On December 20th General Sherman left Mempiiis with £0,000 
troops in transports, and a naval force under Admiral D. D. 
Porter co-operating. A landing was effected at the mouth of 
the Yazoo River on the 33d, and on the 29th a desperate battle 
was fought at Chickasaw Bayou. The heavy Confederate 
force and the difificult nature of the ground were too much for 
the Federals, and by nightfall tljey had been repulsed, with a 
loss of over two thousand men, the Confederate loss not being 
one-tenth of that number. 
The Federals rested on their arms that night. Sherman and 

Porter then planned 
another attack by 
going up the Yazoo, 
but the scheme 
leaked out and was 
abandoned. On Jan- 
uary 4th, 1863, Gene- 
ral McClernand ar- 
rived and assumed 
chief command. He 
approved a plan 
which Sherman and 
Porter had concocted 
for the capture of 
Fort Hindman, or 
Arkansas Post, o n 
the left bank of the 
Arkansas River, at a 
sharp bend fifty miles from the Mississippi. On January 11th 
the post was captured, and then after the fort had been dis- 
mantled, General McClernand, by Grant's order, withdrew his 
troops to Napoleon, on the Mississippi, at the mouth of the 
Arkansas River. 

We must now return to General Burnside, whom we left at 
Warrenton on November 10th, when he assumed command of 
the Army of the Potomac, vice General McClellan, relieved. 
Burnside promptly reorganized his army, consolidating the six 
corps into three grand divisions of two corps each. The Right 




GEN. AMBROSE E. BURNSIDE. 



BURNSIDE REORGANIZING THE ARMY. 281 

Grand Division was composed of the Second and Ninth Corps of 
Generals Couch and Wilcox, General Snmner having chief com- 
mand of the division. The Centre was composed of the Third and 
Fifth Corps of Generals Stoneman and Butterfield, with General 
Hooker commanding the division. The Left Division consisted 
of the First and Sixth Corps of Generals Reynolds and W. 
F. Smith, with General Franklin commanding the division. 
Burnside's plans were directed toward the capture of Rich- 
mond, and he, therefore, made Acquia Creek his base, having 
railroad connection with Fredericksburg. On November 16th 
he began to move in that direction. An attempt to cross the 
Rappahannock by Sumner's Division was met by a heavy 
demonstration of Lee's forces, and hostilities were delayed until 
the 21st, when the main body of the Federal Army had reached 
Falmouth, and from that point commanded the city of Fred- 
ericksburg, with batteries on the Falmouth hills. On November 
21st Sumner demanded the surrender of the city, but the author- 
ities refused to allow its occupation by the National troops. Tlie 
Confederate forces, now numbering some eighty thousand men, 
had been pushed forward by Lee, and were disposed in a semi- 
circle behind Fredericksburg, the right wing resting on the 
river at Port Royal, below the city, and the left six miles above. 
Burnside having drawn Lee's attention down the river by 
attempts to cross twelve miles below Falmouth, determined to 
construct pontoon bridges across the Rappahannock and 
attempt to divide the Confederate forces. On December 11th 
the engineers began before dawn and were well advanci d with 
their work, under cover of a fog, before the movement was 
detected. There had been constructed on Stafford Heights, on 
the Falmouth side, twenty-nine batteries to cover the operations ; 
therefore, when Lee's sharp-shooters, who had been ambushed 
in Fredericksburg, opened tire on the engineers and drove 
them from the pontoons, ?. heavy cannonading was begun 
on the city, which was set on fire in several places. 
Another attempt to work at the bridges was frustrated 
by sharpshooters, and then volunteers from Howard's 
Division crossed the river in open pontoon boats 
and dislodged the enemy. That evening the remainder of 



HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 



Sumner's Right Division and Franklin's Left crossed, and occu- 
pied Fredericksburg, and by tlie night of December 12th both 
divisions were across the Rappahannock, leaving Hooker with 
the centre division on the Falmouth side. On the 13th Burn- 
side ordered an advance of the whole force on the south bank 
of the Rappahannock, to attempt the assault of the Confederate 
lines. Franklin began the attack soon after sunrise, and for a 
time the Confederates were driven back, Meade's Division press- 
ing them closely until they neared the crest of the hill, when 
Gregg, wiih his South Carolina troops, compelled Meade to 
halt. Then Eorly swept down upon him, and Meade was driven 
back with considerable loss. Generals Gibbons and Bimey 
came to Meade's support, but in vain, and then Reynolds came 
up. The Confederates were then again driven back, but kept 
stubbornly lighting till dark. Meanwhile Sumner's Division had 
attacked the Confederate front. Couch's Second Corps leading 
the attack at noon. French's and Hancock's divisions followed. 
Longstreet, with heavy j-eserves behind him, was posted behind 
a stone wall at the foot of Marye's Hill. French, after a fearful 
struggle at this formidable position, was hurled b:ick, and then 
Hancock pressed forward to close the gap. The men fought 
desperately, Meagher's Irish Brigade being especially brave, but 
the work was beyond their cai>acity, and in less than hilf an 
hour Hancock was driven back, with the loss of over two 
thousand men. Howard's Division, and those of Sturgis and 
Getty, advanced to the support of Hancock and French, but 
even then the odds were against them. Burn side then ordered 
Hooker across. He took three divisions, and reconnoitered the 
position, but feeling satisfied that the works could not be car- 
ried, he advised Burnside to give up the attempt. The com- 
mander, however, insisted that the crest must be carried, and 
consequently Humphrey's Division, four thousand strong, were 
ordered to take the position at the point of the bayonet. Gal- 
lantly they pressed forward, but a murderous fire mowed down 
seventeen hundred of them, and the da}^ was evidently lost. 
By nightfall the Federals had lost nearly fifteen thousand 
men. During the next two days Burnside was preparing for 
another attack, but at length yielded to the representations of 



BURNSIDE SUPERSEDED BY HOOKER. 388 

Sumner, and on the night of the 15th of December Burneide 
withdrew to the Stafford Hills, across the Rappahannock, 
taking up his pontoon bridges, and abandoning all attempts 
to hold Fredericksburg. 

Still bent on the capture of Richmond, Burnside was plan- 
ning a fresh expedition, when on December 30th he was ordered 
by the President not to enter upon active operations. Unable 
to account for this, Burnside went direct to Washington, when 
the President informed him that private reports from general 
officers had made it apparent that he did not possess the confi- 
dence of the army. Another attempt to cross the river and 
flank Lee's forces was frustrated by a storm, and then Burnside 
again proceeded to Washington to nsk the dismissal of offi.cers 
whom he had detected in correspondence with the President for 
the purpose of fomenting discontent. The President failed to 
coincide with this demand, and finally, on January 26th, 1863, an 
order was issued relieving Burnside of the command of the 
Army of the Potomac and placing him on waiting orders. 
Generals Franklin and Sumner were ako relieved of their com- 
mands. 

Major-General Hooker was assigned to the command vacated 
by Burnside. For three months thereafter no active operations 
were undertaken by either Lee or Hooker in consequence of the 
terrible condition of the roads, and also because both armies 
had been severely demoralized by the heavy fighting of the 
campaign. 

Hooker found his men deserting at the rate of about two 
hundred a day, and a close examination of the muster rolls 
proved that 2,922 commissioned oflScers and 81,964 privates and 
non-commissioned officers w^ere absent. Of course, included in 
this number were the sick and wounded in the hospitals. It 
was an appalling state of affairs, but Hooker at once went to 
work to reorganize, and his effective measures speedily 
brought order out of chaos. By the middle of April he had a 
thoroughly disciplined force of about 110,000 infantry and artil- 
lery, with 400 guns and 13,000 cavalry. But we must leave him 
here in winter quarters and turn to the political aspects at the 
beginning of 1863. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

PRESIDENT Lincoln's emancipation proclamation— full text op the most 

IMPORTANT STATE PAPER IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES— EFFECTS 
OP ITS PROMULGATION — CONDITION OP THE FEDERAL FINANCES — FURTHER 
CALLS FOR TROOPS— DEMORALIZED CONDITION OF CONFEDERATE AFFAIRS. 

The first day of January, 1863, will ever stand on record as 
the date of the most momentous event in modern history. On 
that day the scratch of a pen upon a sheet of foolscap paper 
burst the bonds which held the African race in subjection on 
this continent, and swept away an institution which for two 
hundred and forty-four years had been a shame and an infamy 
among a j)eople professing to be free and glorying in their 
freedom. On that day, as an act of sublime necessity, as it 
was then deemed, but really in full fruition of the destinies 
of this great nation. President Abraham Lincoln aflS.xed his 
signature to and promulgated the Emancipation Proclamation, 
a document second only in importance, if indeed it does not 
surpass in human interest, the boasted Magna Charta which 
the British barons wrung from King John at Runny mede. 

Before giving the text of this State paper, let us look into 
the events preceding its issue. As we have shown in our intro- 
ductory chapter, the slavery question was practically under- 
lying the whole theory of justification for secession, and to 
such an extent had the idea of property rights, or vested 
interests become mixed up with the subject, that the days of 
the early Abohtionists were passed in peril, even among those 
who had never owned a slave and who could not have been 
induced to do so. Tlie extreme caution of President Lincoln 
at the outset of his career had been very discouraging to the 
Abolition extremists, and when, on September 13, 1862, an 
influential Christian delegation urged upon him the issuance 
of an edict in accordance with their views, he still tem- 
porized, though admitting his personal sympathy with so 
grand an idea. But with Lincoln it was " duty first," and then 
personal inclination, if that could be honorably considered. He 



THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION. 285 

promised to weigh the matter, and closed the interview with 
these significant words: "Whatever shall appear to be God's 
will, I will do !" 

We need not invade the privacy of Lincoln's closet ; facts are 
enough for us. On September 32d, he issued a preliminary proc- 
lamation in which, after reciting certain intended recommenda- 
tions to Congress, he stated that on the first of January next 
ensuing he would declare the slaves, within every State or part 
of a State the people whereof should then be in rebellion, to be 
thenceforward and forever free. 

While the Confederates treated this with scorn, on the sur- 
face, yet the threat of so heavy a blow goaded them to despera- 
tion. Among the loyalists of the North there was mingled hope 
and doubt. In the wide world outside, among the on-lookers of 
the fearfully tragic game, the full import of the declaration 
was keenly appreciated, and the outcome of it was awaited with 
hungry impatience. 

The first of January dawned — and the plebeian became a king 
— the President of a struggling Republic became au Emperor 
among men — a towering, colossal embodiment of nature's 
nobility — an autocrat of Freedom before whom the proudest 
hereditary despots of the Old World stood mean, pitiful and 
abashed. We append the text of the 

PROCLAMATION. 

Whereas, On the 22d. day of September, in the year of our Lord one thou- 
sand ei^ht hundred end sixty-two, a proclamation wasissued by the President 
of the United States, containing, among other things, the following, to wit : 

" That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand 
eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or 
designated part of a State the people whereof shall then be in rebellion 
against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward and forever free ; 
and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military 
and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of 
such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of 
them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom. 

" That the Executive will, on the first day of January aforesaid, by proc- 
lamation, designate the States and parts of States, if any, in which the peo- 
ple thereof, respectively, shall then be in rebellion against the United States; 
and the fa. t that any State, or the people thereof, shall on that day be in 
good faith represented in the Congress of the United Stares, by members 



286 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

chosen thereto at elections wherein a majority of the qualified voters of such 
State shall have participated, shall, in the absence of strong countervailing 
testimony, be deemed conclusive evidence that such State, and the people 
thereof, are not then in rebellion against the United States." 

Novr, therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, by 
virtue of the power in me vested as Commander-in-Chief of the Army and 
Navy of the Unite 1 States in time of actual armed rebellion against the 
authority and government of the United States, and as a fit and necessary 
■war measure for suppressing said rebellion, do, on this fir?t day of January, 
in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and in 
accordance with my pm-pose ,so to do, publicly proclaimed for the full period 
of one hundred days from the day first above mentior.ed, order and desig- 
nate, as theSrates and parts of States wherein the people thereof, respect- 
ively, are this day in rebellion against the United States, the following, to 
wit : 

Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana (except the parishes of St. Bernard, Plaque 
mines, Jefferson, St. John, St. Charles, St, James, Ascension, Assumption, 
Terre Bonne, La Fourche, Ste. Mane, St. Martin, and Orleans, including the 
city of New Orleans), Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Caro- 
lina, North Carolina and Virginia (except the forty-eight counties designated 
as West Virginia, and also the counties of Eerkley, Accomac, Northampton, 
Elizabeth City, York, Princess Anne and Norfolk, including the cities of 
Norfolk and Portsmouth), and which excepted parts are, for the present, 
left precisely as if this proclamation .were not issued. 

And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and 
declare that all persons held as slaves wiihin said designated States and 
parts of States are and henceforward shall be free, ar:d that the Executive 
Government of the United States, including the military and naval authori- 
ties thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons. 

And I hereby enjoin upon the people sd declared to be free to abstain frona 
all violence, unless in necessary self-defense ; and I recommend to them 
that, in all cases, when allowed, they labor faithfully for reasonable wages. 

And I further declare and make known that such persons, of suitable con- 
dition, will be received mto the armed Siirvice of the United States, to 
garrison forts, positions, stations and other places, and to man vessels of all 
sorts in said service. 

And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by 
the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment 
of mankind and the gracious favor of Almighty God. 

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my name and caused the seal of 
the United States to be aflixed. 

Done at the City of Washington, this first day of January, in the year 
[l. S.J of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the 
Independence of the United States the eighty-seventh. 

ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 
By the President : 

William H. Seward, Secretary of State. 



EFFECT OF THE PROCLAMATION. 287 

It is impossible to over-estim? te tho effect of this proclama- 
tion. In the South, despite bombast and sneers, tliere was a 
feeling that the Feast of Belshazzar had been re-enacted and 
that the handwriting on the ^tall had been parodied in all its 
direful portent. It may not be denied that in the North the 
proclamation was not as heartily received as it should have 
been. Somehow men seemed to smell, if not to taste, the bitter 
dose administered to the Confederates. Abroad, however, the 
effect was to create a bond of sympathy with all the better ele- 
ments of the various communities. The boldness of the docu- 
ment charmed ; its modest Christian spirit impressed ; and its 
sterling philanthropy commanded respect. The Confederate 
Congress met the proclamation by the passage of retaliatory 
legislation, and in April an " Address to Christians throughout 
the World " was issued from Richmond, in which, among other 
things, the President was accused of attempting to instigate a 
servile insurrection, the result of w^hich would be that con- 
siderations of public safety would render the slaughlering of all 
slaves a necessity. Subsequently the refusal of tho Confederate 
authorities to recognize negro soldiers as exchangeable prison- 
ers of war obliged the President, in July following, to issue an 
order declaring that if the Confederates should sell or enslave 
any Union captive, in consequence of his color, that retaliation 
upon Confederate piisoners would follow as a punishment. 
The serious effect of this was to lengthen the imprisonment tor- 
ments of many a brave Union soldier in the Confederate cattle- 
pens. Nor was it only in this quarter that trouble arose ; the 
Peace party protested against the act as as unconstitutional, 
and ^^reparations were made for condemning it by the ballot- 
boxes. However, Congress and the Executive were as a unit 
on this point, and laws were passed authorizing tlie enlistment 
of one hundred and fifty thousand negroes into the service of 
the United States. The President declared that the time for 
compromise had gone by ; peace must be obtained and the 
Union must be preserved. These blessings could only be 
reached by the suppression of the rebellion, and to that end the 
administration would bend all its energies. Slowly the tide 
turned, and that which had been viewed as a fierce faction 



HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 



fight came to be considered as an earnest, noble battle for the 
permanent advancement of human freedom and the stability of 
all free institutions. 

While we are considering political matters, it will be well to 
glance at other war measures. As a matter of course, the war 
debt was assuming gigantic proportions, but this in no degree 
dispirited the people, and the credit of the Republic was 
strengthened by a circular issued August 12th, 1863, by the 
Secretary of State to the foreign diplomatic agents, in which he 
stated that the country showed no sign of exhaustion of mone}^ 
material or men, and that the Government loan was being pur- 
chased at par by citizens at the average of $1,200,000 daily. 
He further mentioned that while gold was selling in the North 
at 23 to 28 i)er cent, premium, in the Confederate region it 
commanded twelve hundred per cent, premium. About this 
time the Confederate debt is understood to have been some- 
thing like $600,000,000. 

There was difficulty in keej^ing up the quota of the army. 
The last calls for volunteers had not been fully met. The Con- 
scription Act, therefore, was passed by Congress on March 3d, 
and two months afterward the President ordered a general 
"Draft" of three hundred thousand men. All able-bodied 
citizens, between the ages of twenty and forty-five years, were 
subject to the requisition. Instigated by the Peace faction, this 
measure was bitterly denounced, and in many places the draft 
officers were forcibly resisted. In New York, on July 13th, a 
vast mob demolished the buildings occupied by the Provost 
Marshals, burned the Colored Orphan Asylum, attacked the 
police, and killed about one hundred persons, mostly negroes. 
For three days the authorities were almost powerless, and then 
General Wool, commander of the military district of New York, 
after much difficulty, succeeded in suppressing the revolt. 
Still, the anti-war spirit was so violent, that on August 19th 
President Lincoln issued a i:)roclamation suspending the privi- 
leges of the writ of habeas corpus throughout the Union. We 
shall take occasion to notice some of the reasons for and results 
of this measure later on. The draft was not a grand success, 
only about fifty thousand men being obtained. Volunteering, 



CONDITION OF THE OPPOSING FORCES. 289 

however, made up for much of the deficiency. Still, the terrible 
losses by battle and disease, and the thinning out of regiments 
by the expiration of enlistment terms, kept the muster roll 
down to so low an ebb that in October the President issued 
another call for three hundred thousand men. At the same 
time it was provided that any delinquency in meeting the de- 
mand would be supplied by a draft in the following January. 
This prompt and energetic course resulted in placing the Union 
army on a better footing than at any previous time. 

Meanwhile the Confederate army was getting into very poor 
plight. The Confederate Congress had authorized Davis to call 
into the military service all white residents of the Confederate 
States between the ages of eighteen and forty-five years. The 
first call, for those under thirty-five years, was made in 1863, 
and oa July 15th, 1863, Davis called for all who were liable to 
bear arms, between the ages of eighteen and forty -five years. 
This had but little practical result in increasing the Confederate 
forces, and a close inspection of the muster roll revealed the 
fact that a large proportion of the army existed on paper only. 
Desertions and fraudulent substitutions were matters of every- 
day occurrence. On August 1st, Jeff Davis, in another procla- 
mation, called upon the absentees to return to the ranks, and 
promised pardon and amnesty to those who reported promptly. 
It will be seen by the tone of this affected clemency, that Presi- 
dent Lincoln's keen analysis of the spirit of the Secession leaders 
was eminently correct. The "people" were nothing— the 
rulers everything. The term "Confederacy" was merely a 
cloak for the autocracy of men as despotic as Bismarck, yet 
without a shadow of his assumed excuses for the exercise of 
arbitrary power. To emphasize this point we may note that 
toward the end of 1863 the Confederate Congress passed an act 
declaring every white man in the Confederate States, between 
the ages of eighteen and fifty-five years, to be in the military 
service, and subject to the articles of war and military discipline 
and penalties, and that upon failure to report for duty at a 
military station within a certain time, he was liable to the 
penalty of death as a deserter. Beyond this, an agent was 
appointed in every county, with authority to seize, at the point 



290 HISTORY OP THE CIVIL WAR. 

of the bayonet, any supplies that might be needed. With one 
more example of the desperate recklessness of the Confederate 
leaders we can turn from this subject. Late in 1863 an address 
was issued to the people of Georgia, at the instance, i)rincipally, 
of Robert Toombs (whilom Secretary of State, but subsequently 
known as "The Humbug of the Confederacy,") in which the 
following appeal was made : " The foot of the oppressor is on 
the soil of Georgia. He comes with lust iu his eye, poverty in 
his purse, and hell in his heart. He comes a robber and a 
murderer. Plow shall you meet him ? With the sword at the 
threshold ! With death for him or yourself ! But more than 
this — let every woman have a torch, every child a firebrand — 
let the loved homes of youth be made ashes, nnd the fields of 
our heritage be made desolate. Let blackness and ruin mark 
your departing steps, if depart you must, and let a desert more 
terrible than Sahara welcome the vandals. Let every city be 
leveled by the flames, and every village be lost in ashes. Let 
your faithful slaves share your fortune and your crust. Trust 
wife and children to the sure refuge and protection of God, 
preferring even for these loved ones the charnel-house as a 
home than loathsome vassalage to a nation already sunk below 
the contempt of the civilized world. This may be your terrible 
choice, and determine at once, without dissent, as honor, patri- 
otism and duty to God require." 

We must now turn back to the battle-fields and by a con- 
densed resume of the events of 1863 secure sufficient of our 
limited space to give in fuller detail the closing episodes of the 
great struggle. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

RUNNING SUMMARY OF THE EARLIER MILITARY MOVEMENTS IN 1863 — SIEGE OF 
VICKSBURO— SURRENDER OF VICKSBURG BY GENERAL PEMBERTON— GUER- 
RILLA morgan's RAIDS— his CAPTURE, IMPRISONMENT AND ESCAPE— THK 
GLORIOUS FEDERAL ACHIEVEMENTS AT LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN AND MISSIONARY 
RIDGE. 

We have already described the earlier military movements of 
1863, the repulse of General Sherman at Chickasaw Bayou, and 
the subsequent capture of Arkansas Post on the 11th of January, 
by the land forces under General McClernand with the co- 
operation of Admiral Porter's flotilla. After the return of this 
expedition, the Union forces were again collected at Memphis, 
and embarked on the Mississippi. A landing was effected on 
the Yazoo River, but all attempts on Vicksburg from this direc- 
tion were soon abandoned. General Grant occupied the next 
three months in moving among the bayous, swamps and hills 
around Vicksburg, seeking an eligible position in its rear. A 
canal, cut across from a bend in the river, with intent to form 
a gunboat passage from the Mississippi, gave promise at first, 
but a sudden flood destroyed the labor of weeks. A second 
attempt of the same character was Kkewise a failure. It was 
then determined to run the fleet past the Vicksburg batteries, 
and on the night of April 16th the vessels dropped down the 
river almost unharmed by the furious cannonade they were 
exposed to when the movement was detected. The fleet took 
up a safe anchorage Jbelow the city, and General Grant, march- 
ing his troops down the right bank of the Mississippi, formed a 
junction with the naval force. General Grant crossed the river 
at Bruinsburg on the 30th of April, and the following day drove 
the Confederates from Port Gibson. This repulse was followed 
by the Confederate evacuation of Grand Gulf, at the mouth of 
the Big Black River, and then Grant's army swept round to the 
rear of Vicksburg. On the 12th of May a strong Confederate force 
was defeated, after a severe battle, at Raymond. Pressing on 



292 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

toward Jackson, the capital of Mississippi, the right wing of 
Grant's army under Generals Sherman and McPherson encoun- 
tered GeneralJohnston's division hastening to the support of the 
Vicksburg garrison. Another heavy engagement ensued on 
May 14th, and the Confederates being driven out of Jackson, 
the city was occupied by Sherman and McPherson. The commiss- 
ary stores had been burned, but seventeen guns and a large num- 
ber of tents were the spoils of the victors. McPherson then fell 
back to Clinton, and Sherman after completing the destruction 
of the bridge?, public buildings and property of rebels in Jack- 
son, rejoined the main army, which had been ordered to con- 
centrate at Bolton's Station. The communications of Vicksburg 
were now severed, and the Confederates under General Pember- 
ton had to choose between standing a siege or coming out to 
give battle. On the 16th Pemberton with a large portion of his 
troops met the Union forces at Champion Hills, or Baker's 
Creek. He was sharply repulsed and in another battle at Black 
River Bridge on the 17th was so badly shattered by Grant's im- 
petuous attacks that he withdrew his demoralized force within 
the defenses of Vicksburg. 

General Grant pressed on the investment of the city, believing 
that an immediate assault was necessary and practicable. He 
had Johnston in his rear, at Canton, being rapidly reinforced 
from Bragg's army in Tennessee, and it w^as of the utmost im- 
portance to reduce Vicksburg before Pemberton should make a 
desperate sortie, or Johnston compel the raising of the siege by 
an attack in the rear of the Federal lines, which extended 
some twenty miles from the Yazoo to Warrenton on the Missis- 
sippi. An assault was ordered on the afternoon of the 19th of 
May, but though it was boldly and bravely begun and gallantly 
persisted in for some hours, the Federal troops were repulsed 
with heavy loss. On the night of the 21st, Grant directed Ad- 
miral Porter to engage the water-batteries with his gunboats 
and shell the city preparatory to another assault on the morning 
of the 22d. This was done and the city suffered severely. 

The second attack began at ten o'clock in the morning, and 
for a time the troops advanced without serious check, but when 
the actual assault was ordered the Confederates hurled them- 



THE SIEGE OF VICKSBURG. 293 

selves on the attacking party and again drove them back with 
serious loss. Several times along the whole line of the in- 
trenchments the Federals gained lodgment only to be again 
hurled back or mowed down. At nightfall the troops were re- 
called from the more advanced positions, leaving only a picket 
line to mark the edge of the battle-ground. It was now evident 
to Grant that the place could only be taken by the slow process 
of a siege. Porter, with his gunboats, held the water-front and 
kept up a constant cannonade, For a month Grant kept the 
city closely invested. Pemberton in vain appealed to Johnston 
for aid, and his dispatch fell into Grant's hands. By this it was 
learned, on the 27th of May, that Pemberton had but 15,000 
effective men and one-meal rations for thirty days. Grant's 
forces after the failure of the two assaults did not exceed 
20,000 until the divisions of Generals Lauman, A. J. Smith and 
Kimball came to reinforce Mm. On June 1 Ith, General Herron's 
Division, and on the 14th two divisions of the Ninth Corps, 
under General Parke, came up, and then the investment lines 
were completed. Sherman's Corps was on the extreme right, 
then came McPherson's, and General Ord (now in command of 
McClernand's troops) held the left, which was still further ex- 
tended across the bayou to the river bluffs by the divisions 
of Herron and Lauman. Steadily, day by day, Grant 
drew his lines nearer and nearer the city, pushing for- 
ward his mines in the direction of the strongest of the 
enemy's works. In the meantime, Johnston had promised to 
attempt an attack on Grant's rear, simultaneously with a sortie 
by Pemberton, to cut his way out. But when Johnston moved 
toward Vernon, Grant sent Sherman on June 22d with five 
brigades to check his advance. The frequent interception of 
the communications between Johnston and Pemberton kept 
Grant well posted as to all their plans. O.i June 25th the most 
important of Grant's mines was exploded with terrific force 
under Fort Hill Bastion. There had been counter- mining, how- 
ever, and therefore, though the works were badly shattered, 
Uie Confederates were ready and able to repulse the storming 
party. On the 28th another mine was sprung and another 
fruitless but terrible assault was made. In the meantime the 



294 fflSTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

garrison had been reduced almost to starvation, and on July 3d 
Pemberton ran up a white flag and sent a communication to 
General Grant proposing the appointment of three commis- 
sioners on each side to arrange terms of capitulation. He 
stated that he made this proposition to save the further effusion 
of blood, as he felt fully able to maintain his position for an 
indefinite period. General Grant, however, was thoroughly 
acquainted with his weakness and the scarcity of food, and 
therefore, in a firm, but very courteous reply, as due to tlie gal- 
lantry of a brave foe, he declined to agree to the appointment 
of a commission ; he demanded unconditional surrender of 
the city and garrison, pledging himself to treat the 
prisoners of war with all the respect due to men who 
had shown such endurance and courage. General Grant de- 
cUned to converse with Major General Bo wen, who brought the 
note, but finally consented to meet General Pemberton between 
the lines. At three o'clock on the afternoon of July 3d Gen- 
eral Pemberton, accompanied by Colonel Montgomery, of his 
staff, and Major-General Bowen, met General Grant on the 
southern slope of Fort Hill, to the left of the old Jackson road. 
General Grant was accompanied by Generals McPherson. Ord, 
Logan and A. J. Smith. After courteous, but brief, introduc- 
tions, Grant and Pemberton withdrew to tiie shade of a live- 
oak tree for a private conference. It was then agreed that a 
temporary tinice should be observed, and Grant arranged to 
send Pemberton a proposition in writing that evening. Gen- 
eral Logan and Lieutenant-Colonel Wilson subsequently sub- 
mitted Grant's terms. These were that one division of the 
Federal troops should march in as a guard at eight o'clock next 
morning ; that when paroles had been signed the garrison 
should march out of the National lines, the ofticers 
retaining their regimental clothing — the staff, field and 
cavalry officers one horse each ; the rank and file to 
take their own clothing only. Any necessary amount 
of rations and cooking utensils ?^ud thirty wagons were 
also to be allowed the vanquished. Pemberton's reply 
on the morning of the 4th asked for permission to march out 
with colors and arms and to stack them in frv)nt of the Con^ 



pei^iberton's surrender to grant. 295 

federate lines. He also desired to make stipulations as to the 
treatment of citizens. General Grant was indisposed to make 
fm-ther concessions, but ultimately consented to the brigades 
marching out and stacking arms, but after that they were to 
retire inside the lines until paroled. If these modified terms 
were not accpted at once, Grant intimated that he should open 
fire at nine o'clock. There was nothing open to Pemberton but 
compliance, and consequently McPherson's Corps was set as a 
guard, the Confederates marched out, stacked their arma and 
fell back. The formal surrender was made by Pemberton to 
McPherson. The Federal and Confederate commanders after- 
ward rode side by side into the city, and by three o'clock the 
terrible strain of forty-five days was at an end. On the 11th 
of July the duly paroled soldiers, furnished with three days' 
rations, were escorted over the Big Black River and made their 
way to Jackson. 

The prisoners paroled at Yicksburg numbered 27,000, of whom 
6,000 were sick and wounded in the hospitals, and only about 
15,000 were fit for duty. The entire number of prisoners taken 
during the Vicksburg campaign was 37,000, including fifteen 
general officers. Generals Tracy, Tilghman and Green were 
killed, and fully 10,000 of the rank and file shared the same 
fate. Grant estimated the Federal losses during the same cam- 
paign at 1,223 killed, 7,095 wounded and 537 missing. 

This victory was of the utmost importance to the Union arms, 
and was a terrible blow^ to the Confederacy. 

Meanwhile General Banks, who, as we have shown, had super- 
seded General Butler in command of the Department of the 
Gulf, had been conducting a vigorous campaign on the Lower 
Mississippi. Early in January he advanced from his headq'iar- 
ters at Baton Rouge into Louisiana, reached Brashear City and 
then overthrew a Confederate force at Bayou Teche. Return- 
ing to the Mississippi, he invested Port Hudson, which was 
stubbornly defended by General Gardner until July 8th, when 
the news of the fall of Vicksburg compelled that commander 
to surrender with six thousand men. By this victory the con- 
trol of the whole length of the Mississippi was restored to the 
National Government. 



HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 



We will now turn to the movements of General Rosecrans. 
For some time after the battle of Murfreesboro but little was 
attempted. Late in the spring Colonel Streight's command, 
while on a raid into Georgia, was surrounded and captured by 
a Confederate force under General Forrest. Toward the 
latter part of June Rosecrans began to be active, and by a series 
of flank movements drove General Bragg out of Tennessee into 







PICKETS ON DUTY. 

Georgia. Rosecrans then took up a position at Chattanooga, 
on the left bank of the Tennessee River. During the next few 
months Bragg was reinforced by General Johnston, from Mis- 
sissippi, and General Longstreet, from Virginia. On September 
19th Bragg turned upon the Federal army at Chickamauga 
Creek, in the northwest angle of Georgia, and a severe but 
indecisive engagement ensued. General Lougstreet came up 
during the following night and was placed on the left of 
Bragg's army. General Polk held the right and Ewell and 



BRAGG'S siege of CHATTANOOGA. 297 

Johnston the centre. Soon after eight o'clock on the morning of 
the 20th the Confederates advarjced to reopen the battle. Bragg's 
plan was to crush the Union line, force his way through a gap 
in Missionary Ridge, capture Rossville and Chattanooga, and 
annihilate Rosecrans' army. His plans were shrewdly laid, but 
the contract he had undertaken was beyond his ability. In heavy 
masses tlie Confederates were hurled against the unyielding 
Federal ranks, until General Wood, under a misapprehension of 
orders, opened agap in the lines. Into this, with wonderful celer- 
ity Bragg thrust forward a heavy column and fairly cut the 
Union army in two. The right wing was driven from the field 
and retreated in confusion to Chattanooga. The left, however, 
was held by General Thomas with dogged determination, and 
until darkness shrouded the scene the gallant Thomas kept his 
assailants at bay. During the night Thomas withdrew from the 
field and joined Rosecrans in Chattanooga. The Union losses in 
killed and wounded and missing amounted to about 19,000, and 
the Confederates suffered even more heavily. 

General Bragg at once pressed forward to lay siege to Chat- 
tanooga. He had severed the Federal lines of communication, 
and now thought he had Rosecrans fairly cornered. General 
Hooker, however, with two corps of the Army of the Potomac, 
opened up the Tennessee River and brought relief to the be- 
leaguered Federals. Then General Grant, who had been pro- 
moted to the chief command of the Western armies, assumed 
the direction of affairs at Chattanooga, and when General Sher- 
man, with his division, arrived on the scene, preparations were 
made for turning the tables on the Confederates, with the now 
powerful Army of the Cumberland under the boldest of the Fed- 
eral generals. 

The left wing of the Confederate army rested on Lookout 
Mountain and the right on Missionary Ridge, a position so 
formidable that Bragg need not be accused of taking his own 
name in vain when he boasted that it was impregnable and 
even planned the storming of Chattanooga. With that sublime 
audacity which w^as so notable a Confederate attribute, he gave 
General Grant notice on the 20th of November that he was about 
to bombard the position, and advised him to remove all non- 



298 



HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 



combatants. A fly alighting on an elephant would attract 
about as much attention as this notice elicited. General Grant 
was not in the habit of taking gratuitous advice. In place of 
preparing to repel an attack, he meditated dealing a stunning 
blow upon the over -confident Confederates, and he carried 
out his intentions. On the 23d, General Hooker threw his 
corps across the river below Chattanooga and gained a 
footing at the mouth of Lookout Creek, facing the moun- 
tain. The divisions cf Generals Geary and Osterhaus sup- 
ported him, and an assault was begun the following morn- 
ing. The remainder of the Union army was employed 




grant's HEAD(JUARTERS at CHATTANOOGA. 

in preventing reinforcements from Missionary Ridge going 
to the aid of Lookout Mountain. In the midst of 
a dense fog which concealed their advance, the Federals moved 
forward shortly after eight o'clock. Within a couple of hours 
the Confederate rifle-pits among the foot-hills had been carried. 
Here Hooker had intended to pause, but the enthusiasm of his 
troops knew no bounds, and yielding to the wild impulses of 
his gallant troops Hooker gave orders to charge on the whole 
Confederate position. Through the dense fog, up the precipi- 
tous sides of the mountain the men scrambled and fought with 
the reckless daring of incarnate devils. The murderous fire of 
the heavy Confederate batteries merely seemed to increase their 
valor, and before two o'clock in the afternoon the Union flag 



LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN AND MISSIONARY RIDGE. 299 

was planted on the cloud-capped summit of Lookout Mountain, 
surrounded by the exultant Federal troops, while the utterly- 
routed Confederates were streaming in hot haste down the east- 
ern slope and across the intervening hills and valleys toward 
Missionary Ridge. 

During the night of the 24th, General Bragg concentrated his 
forces and prepared to defend this latter position to the uttermost. 
In the meantime General Sherman had thrown pontoon bridges 
across the Tennessee and Chickamauga, and gained a lodgment 
on the northeastern declivity ot the Ridge. General Thomas, 
with his troops in a fever of excitement, held the centre, being 
on the southern and eastern slopes of Orchard Knob. At two 
o'clock in the afternoon General Grant gave orders for the ad- 
vance, and at once a repetition of the desperate scenes of Lookout 
Mountain w^as precipitated. The Federal troops gained the sum- 
mit of Missionary Ridge and the Confederates were again hope- 
lessly routed. During the following night General Bragg with- 
drew his disheartened and demoralized remant of an army and 
retreated in the direction of Ringgold, Georgia. The Federal 
losses in the two battles reached 757 killed, 4,529 wounded and 
330 missing. The Confederate losses in killed, wounded and 
captured exceeded ten thousand. The results of these battles 
were so decisive as to put an end to the war in Tennessee until 
it was renewed by Hood, at Franklin and Nashville, in the 
winter of 1864. 

We have mentioned that General Burn side, when relieved of 
his command of the Army of the Potomac, %vas placed on 
waiting orders. The demand for good field officers did not 
leave him idle for any great length of time, and in March he 
was assigned to the command of the Army of the Ohio, and 
with the Ninth Corps proceeded to East Tennessee. For some 
months his duties were chiefly executive, the Ninth Corps hav- 
ing been taken from him to assist Grant at Vicksburg. After 
some minor movements, Burnside arrived with his command 
at Knoxville. on September 1st, and his advent was enthusias- 
tically hailed by the loyalists of that region. After the battle 
of Chickamauga, General Long-treet was sent to East Tennes- 
see and on his way to attack Burnside at Knoxville, he cap- 



300 HISTOKY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

tured several small detachments of Federal troops. On the 
29th of November, after a regular siege of Knoxville, Longstreet 
attempted to carry the position by storm, but was repulsed 
with heavy loss. General Sherman advanced to the relief of 
Burnside, after Bragg had retreated from Chattanooga, but 
Longstreet raised tlie siege and retreated into Virginia before 
Sherman could reach Knoxville. 

In Arkansas and Southern Missouri, during the early part of 
1863, the Confederate Generals Marmaduke and Price were 
again active. On January 8th they advanced on Springfield, 
but were repulsed, and three days later were also foiled in an 
attack on Hartsville. The post at Cape Girardeau was attacked 
on April 26th by General Marmaduke, but without result. Gen- 
eral Holmes, with eight thousand men, advanced on Helena, 
Arkansas, on the day of the surrender of Vicksburg, but he lost 
one-fifth of his troops and retired in disorder. 

When the surrender of Vicksburg and Port Hudson and the 
retreat of Johnston from Jackson had relieved the pressure on 
Grant's army. General Frederick Steele was sent to Helena to 
make preparations for the capture of Little Rock, the capital of 
Arkansas. In this expedition he was joined by General Davidson, 
and with 12,000 men and 40 guns, Davidson with his cavalry 
led the advance, and crossing the White River at Clarendon, 
pushed on to Brownsville. He drove Marmaduke from the 
town on August 26th, and then pushed on to the Arkansas 
River. On September 7th Steele, who had taken another 
route, came up with him. Davidson then pushed on, and cross- 
ing the river on a pontoon bridge, reached Bayou Fourche, five 
miles above Little Rock, on the morning of the 10th. While 
preparing for an advance on the city from this side, Steele was 
moving along the north bank of the river, and the combined 
attack drove Marmaduke back into the city. The Confeder- 
ates then hastily retreated, after firing the city in several places. 
They were closely followed by Davidson's cavalry, and 
by seven o'clock in the evening the civil authori- 
ties formally surrendered to Davidson. Steele had by 
this time occupied the Confederate works on the north side of 
the river. The Confederate troops were in full retreat toward 



CAPTURE OF GUERRILLA MORGAN. 301 

Arkadelphia, but the Federal forces were too much wearied to 
make any effectual pursuit. The occupation of Little Rock by 
Steele's army practically ended the fighting in this direction. 

We have noticed the raids occasionally made by the guerrilla 
chief Jolin H. Morgan, and must now chronicle the ingomin- 
ious finale of his adventures for the year 1863. On June 27th 
Morgan crossed the Cumberland Eiver at Burksville and pushed 
rapidly northward. After partly sacking Columbia, Morgan, 
who had a force of 3,500 well-mounted men and six guns, 
had a sharp fight at Tebb's Bend, on the Green River, with 
some Michigan troops under Colonel Moore. Morgan lost some 
two hundred men. He then moved upon Lebanon, and after 
a severe engagement captured and fired the place, taking 
prisoners Captain Hanson and his small force and seizing a 
small battery. After raiding and plundering in all directions 
Morgan found that the Federal forces were combining to punish 
him, and he began to look around for a pathway out of his 
dilemma. Concentrating his scattered pillagers at Harrison, 
just within the borders of Ohio, he started to attempt the 
passage of the Ohio into Western Virginia or northeastern 
Kentucky as the safest route back to Tennessee. General 
Hobson, however, was close on his trail and the citizens 
of Ohio and Indiana, aroused by Morgan's daring depre- 
dations, were lending vigorous aid to the Federal and State 
troops. At Berlin, Jackson County, Ohio, he encountered a 
well-trained militia force, under Colonel Runkle, and was com- 
pelled to abandon an intended raid on some State cattle col- 
lected there. On the 18th of July Morgan reached Buffington 
Ford, on the Ohio, but here he dropped into a trap. On the 19tli 
General Judah fell on his flank, the head of Hobson's column, 
under General Shackelford, attacked his rear, and a couple of 
gunboats opened fire from the river on his front. About 800 
of Morgan's men surrendered, but the daring chief, with a handful 
of followers, pushed inland, fighting each on his own hook, until 
fairly cornered near New Lisbon, Columbiana County. Morgan 
surrendered to General Shackelford, and he and several of his 
officers had the honor of occupying felons' cells in the Peniten- 
tiary at Columbus, Ohio, until November 20th, when the guar- 



302 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR 

rilla chief and six of his comrades dug their way out and 
escaped to the Confederate lines in northern Georgia. We 
shall meet with him again, but, for the time being, he drops 
out of sight. 

We will now glance at some movements along the coast and 
then return to the Army of the Potomac and the eventful cam- 
paign in Pennsylvania. We have noticed the operations of Ad- 
miral Dupont in the early part of the year. Toward the end of 
June a land force under General Q. A. Gill more, and a fleet 
under Admiral Dahlgren, renewed the siege of Charleston. The 
Federal army first landed oii Folly Island, and then succeded 
in planting batteries on the south end of Morris Island in such 
positions as to bear upon Fort Sumter in the channel and Fort 
Wagner and Battery Gregg at the northern end of the island. 
On the 18th of July, after a severe bombardment, General Gill- 
more attempted to carry Fort Wagner by assault, but he waS 
repulsed and lost over fifteen hundred men. The siege was 
continued, however, with unabated vigor until September 6th, 
when both the fort and Battery Gregg were evacuated by the 
Confederates, who retired into Charleston. This gave Gillmore 
a position within four miles of the city, and enabled him to 
train his batteries on the wharves and the lower portion of the 
city. Beyond this it was not possible to operate at this time, 
but the port of Charleston was effectually closed, though the 
harbor and city remained under Confederate control. 

We have thus rapidly run over the general events of 1863, 
except the important movements of the Army of the Potomac, 
to which we will turn in another chapter. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

HOOKER WITH THE ARMY OP THE POTOMAC— DISASTROUS FIGHT AT OHANOELLORS- 
VILLE — DEATH OF " STONEWALL, '' JACKSON — CAPTURE OF THE HEIGHTS AT 
FREDERICKSBURG— lee's DASH INTO PENNSYLVANIA AND MARYLAND — CAPTURE 
OF WINCHESTER BY THE CONFEDERATES — HOOKER SUPERSEDED BY GENERAL 
MEADE. 

We left General Hooker, who had succeeded Burnside, in 
command of the Army of the Potomac, in winter quarters and 
reorganizing his forces. The Confederates were also preparing 
for another vigorous campaign, and General Lee had not only 
increased his army, but had also vastly improved its field 
equipment. " Stonewall" Jackson's force had been increased 
to 33,000 men, the artillery had been consolidated and placed 
under the command of General Pendleton, and the morale of 
the army had been improved by judicious handling. In ad- 
dition to this, Lee had constructed formidable works, extend- 
ing about twenty-five miles, from Bank's Ford to Port Royal. 
By these arrangements, Lee's position around Fredericksburg 
had been so strengthened, that an attempt to force it from the 
front did not seem possible. Hooker therefore decided to at- 
tempt the turning of Lee's flank, and by this operation, coupled 
with demonstrations in the rear, force Lee to quit his intrench- 
ments. While Hooker was perfecting his plans, another of the 
Confederate guerillas, John S. Moseby, had made a daring dash 
upon Fairfax Court-House, captured t^olonel Stoughton and 
raided around generally. On March 17th there was a sharp en- 
gagement near Kelly's Ford on the Rappahannock, between 
Federal cavalry under General W. W. Averill, and General 
Fitz Hugh Lee's cavalry. The Federal forces retired and re- 
crossed the river, but the losses on each side were so nearly 
equal as to bar any claim for a victory. By this time Hooker 
was ready to move. On April I2th he ordered General Stone- 
man to advance with his cavalry up the eastern banks of the 
Rappahannock, then cross and disperse Fitz Hugh Lee's cavalry 



304 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

at Culpeper Court-House, and by destroying bridges and rail- 
roads sever Lee's communications with Richmond. The 
swollen condition of the river, however, frustrated this move- 
ment at that time. On April 37th Hooker began to move his 
whole force, and the Fifth, Eleventh and Twelfth Corps, under 
Generals Meade, Howard and Slocum, respectively crossed the 
Rappahannock at Kelly's Ford, twenty-seven miles above 
Fredericksburg, during the 28th and 29th of April. They 
reached Chancellorsville, after wading the Rapidan, in Lee's 
rear, on the afternoon of the 30th. While this movement was 
secretly conducted, portions of the Second Corps under General 
Gibbon kept the Confederates on the watch in front. As 
soon as the turning column had crossed the decoy troops left 
their position at Falmouth and hastened to Chancellorsville. 
General Hooker made his head-quarters in the Chancellor 
Mansion on the night of April 30th. While these movements 
were in progress on the right, the three corps, First, Third and 
Sixth, under Generals Reynolds, Sickles and Sedgwick, the 
latter in command, had crossed the Rappahannock some two 
miles below Fredericksburg, and dislodged the Confederate 
pickets. Sedgwick and Reynolds then held the position while 
Sickles moved rapidly on to Chancellorsville. Hooker had 
expected that Lee would retreat to Richmond, but the Confed- 
erate chief had called up "Stonewall" Jackson's division and 
contemplated attacking the Federal army while it was divided. 
Leaving Early with 9,000 men and 30 guns at Fredericks- 
burg to keep Sedgwick in check, lie sent Jackson's column 
towards Chancellorsville in the small hours of tlie morning 
of May 1st, and this was joined by Anderson's Corps. 
Lee's intent was to secure possession of Banks' Ford 
and compel Hooker to fight before Sedgwick could form a junc- 
tion with him. Near the Tabernacle Church, half way between 
Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, a plank road diverges from 
the turnpike, and falls into it again at Chancellorsville. Jack- 
son advanced along the plank road and General McLaws along 
the turnpike. Hooker's troops had moved out from the other 
extremity of these roads, and also along a road leading to 
Banks' Ford. Along the plank road the right column, under 



STONEWALL JACKSON'S LAST CHAEOE. 



305 



Slocuni had scarcely tegun the move when it encountered 
Jackson's cavalry and was forced back; Sykes' colun "" wh eh 

but JacUon s vigorous assaults on the Federal flanks com,>elled 

cellorsville. I„ the mean time Meade's Corps, forming the left 
«mg had succeeded in getting possession of Banks' Ford and 
tZu^Tr^ the distance between Sedgwick's divl'on ^^d 
tlie mam army, Durmg the night of May 1st both armies nre 
pared for a battle. The Federal lines extended fromt ,e RLpa" 
hannock to the WildernesB pr>„..„i, ,- ■, ■ "'" <-"« "appa- 

lorsvillH Ti.r """"'"'-«'; <-I'"reli, two miles west of Chancel- 
lorsviUe. The centre was held by Slocum, with part of Sickles' 
n:!:ZT:^"'\ Howard heM the right of the' line, afd d by 

Crouch' '',^'':'"Y'/"'^ ^"""^"'^ ^°''''' ^"h ^ division of 
Crouch s. held tho left of the line. So well had Hooker dis 
posed his troops that Lee hesitated to attack him in ^ron^ td 

tolls sV"'"''^^ f *'^ ''^""^ "«'--vaU," he decided 
to divide h s force and attempt a flank and rear movement 

throth'r, 'Tn' "^'' "'"''''^ «'^P'-"' roadand moved 

tlnough the woods to the Orange plank road, four miles west 

(general Bimoy and reported to Hooker, and despite a gaUant 

be adS r^"' ^'^'"*"'^'' ''^' ^° '""'^'y ='»'•, it must 

be admitted, bravely, were Jackson's designs carried out that 
his men, with the wild "rebel yell," swept town „^m tZ flank 
and reor of Howard's Corps, the Federal right win^ about sun 
per time. Instantly all was confusion. General Sevens t™s 

lust blow fell, had been disabled or captured in a brief neriod 
e rcaritf '"" 'r"^" '^" •^'"^'^ "'- thepositionloTG™: 

Tee Sw stn , V'"^ ''""""''"•• ^"^ ^««^™P'^ -t -st- 
ance l«.ing swept aside by the exultant Confederates. A brief 

bait was made, when Steinwehr threw a brigade into some 
Z^tC: T''f' T"'' ^'"^ "•« y^""'« demons^warrd 

nicated to ttLi O'sa^itei on the right was speedily commu- 
nicated to Hooker, who sent forward his own division and 



306 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

French's Brigade, and ordered Sickles to fall back and attack 
Jackson's left. A lucky accident enabled Pleasanton's cavalry 
to check the pursuit until Sickles could extricate himself. In 
the meantime the Eighth Pennsylvania had been badly shat- 
tered in an attack on the Confederate flank, and Major Keenan 
had been killed. A terrible artillery duel then ensued between 
Pleasanton's Horse Artillery with part of Sickles' Battery, and 
the Confederate artillery, under Colonel Crutchfield. In this 
engagement Crutchfield was badly wounded. But a heavier loss 
fell on the Confederate army at this junctui'e. "Stonewall" 
Jackson, with a small staff and escort, had pushed forward to 
make a personal reconncissance, with a view of extending his 
lines to the left and cutting Hooker off from United States Ford. 
He was on Ms way back to his own lines, just as Hill had reached 
the front, when his own troops, mistaking the little party for 
Federal cavalry, fired into them. Jackson received three bullets, 
one shattering the left arm below the shoulder, and severing an 
artery. While he was being borne to the rear on a litter, one 
of the bearers was shot dead by the canister shot of the Federals. 
About the same time General Hill was disabled by a fragment of 
a shell, and the command falling upon General Rodes, the pro- 
jected Confederate advance was abandoned for the day. ' ' Stone- 
wall " Jackson was first taken to the hospital at Wilderness 
Tavern, where his left arm was amputated, and three days later, 
on the arrival of his wife, he w^as removed to Guiney's Station. 
He lingered until May 10th, suffering chiefly from pneumonia, 
and then died peacefully, after an interval of dehrium. It 
may safely be asserted that no individual loss was more 
keenly felt by the Confederates throughout the struggle, 
nor was there a death which had a more saddening ef- 
fect abroad. "Stonewall Jackson's" name was a house- 
hold phrase in Europe, his daring and dexterity having 
hfted him into wonderful prominence. Just here it may 
be pertinent to note the origin of the name. At the be- 
ginning of the battle of Bull Run, when the Confederates in 
one part were routed and in disorderly retreat. General Bee, 
pointing to an immovable column of men, cried out *' Here is 
Jackson, standing like a stone walV The term fitted the man, 



DEATH OF STONEWALL JACKSON. 307 

and as "Stonewall," more often than as Jackson, he was al- 
luded to among the Confederate troops. 

The Confederate troops during Saturday night had been 
busily preparing for attack or defense as the case might be, but 
Hooker was too cautious to attempt aggressive operations, and 
contented himself with dispositions to meet a further attack. 
He had sent to Sedgwick on Saturday morning for Reynolds' 
Corps, and its arrival late that evening replaced the shattered 
Eleventh, which Jackson had so demoralized. In the mean 
time Sedgwick, in pursuance of further orders, had crossed 
the Eappahannock and attacked the heights of Fredericksburg. 
The stone wall at the foot of Marye's Hill, where Burnside's 
troops had been so fatally repulsed in December, was again the 
scene of a fearful struggle, but this time with a far different 
result. The Confederate works were carried in all directions, 
at a heavy cost of life, however, and Early was driven south- 
ward in a demoralized condition. This opened the plank road 
to Chancellorsville, and Sedgwick pushed along it to threaten 
Lee's flank and rear. 

On Sunday morning, May 3d, the whole of Lee's left wing 
dashed forward under Stuart, and the Federals were driven 
back. Sickles holding his position for a time at the point of the 
bayonet. The Confederate artillery kept up a constant fire, and 
during the hottest part of the battle General Hooker was 
stunned by the fall of a pillar of the Chancellor House, his head- 
quarters. This disaster kept Sickles without the reinforcements 
he had sent for. Lee then threw forward his whole force, and 
despite a gallant resistance Sickles and Slocum were forced 
back; then Hancock and Geary, after gallantly holding their 
position for some time in front of the headquarters, were also 
broken by overwhelming numbers, and the Confederates took 
possession of Chancellorsville by ten o'clock, after six hours 
hard fighting. 

We left Sedgwick advancing along the plank road from Fred- 
ericksburg. The knowledge of this movement checked Lee's 
intended advances on Hooker on Sunday afternoon. Appreci- 
ating the importance of preventing a junction, Lee sent McLaws 
with four brigades to intercept Sedgwick. Near Salem Church, 



308 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

on Salem Heights, the opposing forces met and a severe engage- 
ment ensued. At one time the Federals had secured the crest 
of the hill, but finally they were swept back, and by night Sedg- 
wick had lost five thousand m.en, including those who fell in 
the assault on the Fredericksburg heights. Although but seven 
miles from Hooker's main army, Sedgwick found it impossible 
to effect a junction. Lee at once determined to demolish 
Hooker in detail, and sent Early, on Monday morning, May 4th, 
to recapture the heights of Fredericksburg, while Anderson's 
three brigades were sent to reinforce McLaws. By noon Sedg- 
wick was inclosed on three sides, and when a general attack 
was made later in the day he was driven back on the river, de- 
spite a desperate resistance. Darkness put an end to the Con- 
federate pursuit, and during the night Sedgwick crossed the 
Rappahannock on pontoon bridges. He had lost more than one- 
fifth of his command and was cut off from aid to or from 
Hooker. 

Leaving Early and Barksdale to hold Sedgwick, Lee recalled 
McLaws and Anderson, and determined to crush Hooker that 
night. This pleasant resolve, however, was frustrated by a 
furious storm, and in the meantime Hooker, after a conference 
with his corps commanders decided to retreat across the river. 
This was accomplished, and on May 6th the Army of the 
Potomac was again before Fredericksburg, and the Con- 
federates were on the heights in the rear of the city. Each 
army had resumed its original position, but with vastly 
depleted strength. The Federal losses footed up to 17,197 men, 
including 5,000 taken prisoners, and the Confederates had lost 
12,277, including 2,000 prisoners. The Federal Generals Berry 
and Whipple were among the killed. Hooker had also lost 
thirteen guns, about twenty thousand small arms and seven- 
teen colors. 

While these events were in progress General Stoueman's 
cavalry had been engaged in a dashing raid and had destroyed 
much Confederate property, but had not effected the main 
purpose of the expedition, the severing of Lee's communica- 
tions with Richmond. 

About the same time, also, Longstreet had made a vigorous 



lee's advance on PENNSYLVANIA. 809 

assault upon General John J. Peck, who had been holding, 
since September, 1863, a fortified position at Suffolk, on the 
south side of the James River. After a siege of twenty-four 
days, during which time both Longstreet's and Peck's forces 
had fought with desperate gallantry, Longstreet, on May 3d, 
abandoned the siege of Suffolk and retreated to the Blackwater, 
closely pursued by Generals Corcoran and Dodge and Colonel 
Foster. For a time there was a lull in important movements, 
although several sharp minor engagements between detached 
divisions of the armies at various points. Early in June, how- 
ever, Lee, Avho had been projecting an invasion of Pennsylvania 
and Maryland, began the advance. His left wing, under Ewell, 
pushed through Chester Gap, of the Blue Ridge, crossed the 
Shenandoah River and swept into Strasburg Valley. On the 
evening of the 13th the Confederate forces were before Win- 
chester, then held by General Milroy. On the evening of the 
14th of June, the Confederates with an overwhelming force had 
substantially invested Winchester, and Milroy, who had but 
7,000 effective men, decided to retreat. The Confederate 
cavalry, under General Imboden, was at Romney, thus prevent- 
ing reinforcements reaching him by the line of the Baltimore 
& Ohio Railroad. At one o'clock on the morning of the 15th 
of June, just as Milroy had spiked his guns, the Confederates 
fell upon him and the retreat became a rout. The Federal 
forces made a dash for the Potomac, but were met by Johnson's 
Division and some 4,000 were made prisoners. Milroy lost also 
nearly the whole of his artillery and ammunition, the Con- 
federates capturing 29 guns, 277 wagons and 400 horses. Mil- 
roy's wagon-train crossed the Potomac at Harper's Ferry, and 
the garrison at that point retired to the Maryland Heights. 
The scattered fugitives made their way in various directions into 
Pennsylvania and spread dismay. Milroy's wagon-train reached 
Harrisburg by way of Hagerstown and Chambersburg. This 
rout of the Federal forces left the Shenandoah Valley open to 
the Confederates. Elated by his success, Lee detached General 
Jenkins, of Ewell's corps, with fifteen hundred cavalry, in pur- 
suit of Mih'oy. This force swept up the Cumberland Valley, 
and after destroying the railroad and other property at Cham- 



310 



HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 



bersburg, returned and held Hagerstown, Maryland, to await 
the advance of Lee's main army. 

In the meantime, Hooker, distracted by orders from Wash- 
ington, and wholly unable to penetrate the real nature of Lee's 
movement, had been kept near the Rappahannock, but Avhen he 
heard of Milroy's disaster, he at once moved northward with 
his whole force to Centreville to protect Washington. Lee, 
however, had the start of him, and Longstreet was sent along 
the eastern side of the Blue Ridge, where he took possession 

of A s h b y ' s and 
Snicker's gaps, 
thus threatening 
the Capital and 
preventing an at- 
tack on the Con- 
federates in the 
Valley. Hooker 
had taken up his 
quarters at Fairfax 
Court - House o n 
June 15th. Seve- 
ral sharp skirmish- 
es occurred from 
this point between 
Plea sonton's 
cavalry and those 
under the Confed- 
erate Stuart. On 
Jtme 17th, General Judson Kilpatrick drove back some Con- 
federate cavalry which made a demonstration from Ashby's 
Gap, but the general position of affairs was such as to create 
the most lively apprehension on the part of the authorities of 
Maryland and Pennsylvania, as well as those at Washington. 

While Lee was keeping the Army of the Potomac m suspense 
around Washington, Ewell's corps crossed the river at Shep- 
ardstown and Williamsport, moved on to Hagerstown and then 
up the Cumberland Valley to Chambers burg, arriving there on 
June 32d and compelling General Knipe to fall back. Ewell 




GEN. HUGH JUDSON KILPATRICK. 



HOOKER SUPERSEDED BY MEADE. 311 

then divided the command into two columns, Rodes pushing on 
to Kingston, within thirteen miles of Harrisburg, and Early- 
advancing through Gettysburg and York, to Wrightsville, on 
the Susquehanna. The railroad bridge from this point to 
Columbia opposite was burned by the retreating Federals. On 
the 24th and 25th of June the remainder of Lee's army, under 
Longstreet and Hill, crossed the Potomac, and after concen- 
trating at Hagerstown, pressed in after Ewell, toward the 
Susquehannna. 

Just at this time occurred another of those headquarters com- 
plications which so frequently imperilled field successes. 
Hooker, as soon as he became aware of Lee's movement, 
crossed the river at Edward's Ferry, with his forces now in- 
creased to 100,000 men, but deeming a further force necessary, 
he urged the abandonment of the post at Harper's Ferry, that 
the 11,000 men stationed there might be added to his own 
forces. Expec ting that this would be acceded to. Hooker moved 
on to Frederick, and ordered General Slocum to join General 
French at Harper's Ferry, and push on with the united force to 
threaten Lee's rear in the Cumberland valley. General-in- 
Chief Halleck, however, refused to give him the Harper's Ferry 
garrison, and Hooker promptly telegraphed to Washington 
that, being unable to carry out instructions with the force at 
his disposal, he desired to be relieved from his command. 

He probably supposed that this would break down Halleck's 
opposition, but it seems that this request was precisely what the 
General-in-Chief had been calculating upon, for on the day the 
dispatch was received, June 27th, an order was issued, instruct- 
ing General George G. Meade to assume command of the Army 
of the Potomac. The acceptance of his resignation was con- 
veyed to Hooker, with instructions to await the commands of 
the Adjutant-General at Baltimore. Chafing under a sense of 
unjust treatment. Hooker waited three days, and then failing 
to receive any instructions, he decided to go to Washington 
and endeavor to obtain an explanation. In this he again 
played into Halleck's hands, for there was a standing order 
prohibiting officers visiting the capital without leave, and Hal- 
leck at once ordered him under arrest for violation of rules. 



CHAPTER XXIX. 



THE CONFEDERATE INVASION OF PENNSYLVANIA AND MARYLAND— MEADE's 
MOVEMENTS TO CHECK LEE'S ADVANCE — BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG — DfiFKAT 
OF THE CONFEDERATES — MEADE'S LEISURELY PURSUIT — ENGAGEMENT AT 
MINE RUN — BOTH ARMIES IN WINTER QUARTERS — CLOSE OP 1863 — PERSONAL 
NARRATIVE OF THE SWAMP ANGEL's CONSTRUCTION. 

" Swapping horses while crossing a stream" was known to be 
an operation wholly at variance with President Lincoln's meth- 
ods, and therefore it is probable that some very strong pressure 

was brought to bear 
on him before he con- 
sented to a change of 
commanders in the 
face of an aggressive 
foe. There was an- 
other peculiarity 
about the new ar- 
rangement which 
seemed to indicate a 
personal feeling on 
the part of Halleck 
against Hooker ; and 
this was that while 
Hooker's request for 
the Harper's Ferry 
troops was bluntly 
refused, the new 
commander, Meade, 
was not only permitted to use them at his own discretion, but he 
was further assured that the Executive would not interfere 
with any of his arrangements, and consequently that the author- 
ity vested in him was more extensive than that which his pred- 
ecessors had been intrusted with. The army was at first 
disposed to resent the change of commanders, but discipline, 
together with a conviction of the gravity of the situation. 




GEN. GEORGE G. MEADE. 



.GENERAL MEADE IN COMMAND. 313 

speedily overcame discontent, and Meade soon had his troops 
well in hand and eager to meet the invading foe. General 
Meade assumed command on June 28th, the very day on which 
Lee had planned to cross the Susquehanna at Harrisburg, with 
intent to occupy Philadelphia. The Confederate General Stuart, 
with his dashing cavalry, had already crossed the Potomac at 
Seneca, and afttr destroying a number of canal boats and army 
wagons, with their stores, passed around the right of the Army of 
the Potomac at Westminster, and was sweeping on to Carlisle, 
when on the 29th of June he came in contact with General 
Judson Kilpatrick at Hanover. The Confederates attacked the 
flank and rear of Farnsworth's Brigade. The onslaught was 
sudden and severe, but the arrival of General Custer turned the 
tide of the battle. Stuart lost some fifty men, but he inflicted 
a loss of about double that number on Farnsworth before he 
was driven off. In the meantime Lee found that a further 
advance would be hazardous, as Pennsylvania was in arms and 
on the alert, while the Army of the Potomac, largely rein- 
forced, was threatening his rear. He determined, therefore, to 
concentrate at Gettysburg, by this means keep open a line of 
retreat, and if successful in shattering Meade's forces, to be 
ready for an immediate advance on Baltimore and Washing- 
ton. On June 30th, late in the day, Meade, who was moving 
forward in force from Frederick, became convinced that Lee 
intended to risk a grand engagement, and he ordered General 
French to remove all public property from Harper's Ferry, and 
guard the line of the Baltimore and Ohio, while occupying 
Frederick. Meade expected to fight along the line of Big Pipe 
Creek, between the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay, and after 
sending Buford's division to occupy Gettysburg, he made the 
following dispositions for the decisive battle which he was con- 
vinced was impending : The centre, composed of the Fifth and 
Twelfth Corps, under Generals Sykes and Slocum, were sent 
toward Hanover ; the right wing, composed of the Sixth Corps, 
under General Sedgwick, took position at Manchester, m the 
rear of Big Pipe Creek, and the left, under General John F. 
Reynolds, was ordered to push on to Gettysburg. This wing 
comprisf d Reynolds' First Corps, the Third, under General 



314 HISTORY OP THE CIVIL WAR.. 

Sickles, and the Eleventh, under General Howard. General 
Winfield Scott Hancock, with the Second Corps, was stationed 
in Taneytown, on the road to Winchester from Emmettsburg. 
This was also the headquarters. 

On the morning of July 1st, Buford's cavalry had a sharp 
encounter with the Confederate advance under General Heth 
on the Chambersburg road, until the brigades of Generals 
Cutler and Meredith, of Eeynolds' Division, came up to Buford's 
support. The actual battle of Gettysburg, which was destined 
to assume gigantic proportions, was soon begun by a severe 
struggle for the passage of Willoughby's Run, near Seminary 
Ridge, between the Confederates under Archer, of Hill's right 
wing, and Meredith's " Iron Brigade," under tlie personal 
superintendence of General Reynolds. After a brilliant charge. 
Archer and some eight hundred of his men were captured, but, 
unfortunately, Reynolds was killed, having been picked off by 
a sharpshooter. General Doubleday assumed his command, 
and soon afterward General Davis' Mississippi Brigade, which 
had been sadly harassing Cutler's flanks, was surrounded and 
captured. This not only relieved Cutler and saved Hall's Bat- 
tery, which had been seriously endangered, but it allowed an 
extension of the Federal line to the right, to counteract a similar 
Confederate movement. By noon General Doubleday had 
secured a commanding position on Seminary Ridge. The 
Confederate advance under Rodes, of Ewell's division, had, 
in the meantime, taken possession of another ridge and 
threatened Cutler's position. Generals Baxter and Paul were 
sent to Cutler's aid, and, after a sharp contest on the right, 
near the Mummasburg road, the North Carohna regiments 
were captured. By this time Howard's corps on the Federal 
side and the divisions of Pender and Early of the Confederate 
army, had joined in the contest, which now became serious. 
General Schimm el pfennig then, under Howard's orders, took 
chief command in this section, and he sent the divisions 
of Generals Barlow and Carl Schurz further to the right, 
thus extending and somewhat weakening the centre. 
The Confederates under Early fell heavily on Barlow 
and forced him back, and then Rodes dashed on the 



DEATH OF GENERAL REYNOLDS. 



315 



centre and threw it back in some confusion. In the midst of 
this Early, b}^ a rapid advance, pushed into the village and cap- 
tured about throe thousand of the Eleventh Corps. The posi- 
tion on Seminary Ridge was then abandoned, and the Federals, 
covered in their retreat by Buford's cavalry, fell back to the 
left and rear of Steinwehr's Division, on Cemetery Hill. 
Before dark Hill's Corps held Seminary Ridge and Swell's 
occupied Gettysburg. The death of Reynolds being reported 
to General Meade, 
he at once intrusted 
General Winfield 
Scott Hancock with 
chief command in 
the field, and sent 
him forward to act 
on his own discre- 
1 ion . Satisfied with 
Howard's disposition 
of his force, Hancock 
placed Slocum in 
command and re- 
turned to headquar- 
ters, meeting h i t; 
own corps on the 
road and placing it 
in the rear of Ceme- 
tery Hill. General 

Sickles had also moved forward to Howard's support, and before 
morning the position on Cemetery Hill was well sustained. 
Meade by this lime liad become convinced that the invasion 
was checked, and he determined to force a battle at Gettys- 
burg. When Hancock reported to him, both Generals went to 
the front and established headquarters in the rear of Cemetery 
Hill, on the Taneytown road. On the morning of the 2d of July, 
both armies were only about one mile apart, Lee having made 
his headquarters at the crossing of the Chambersburg road over 
Seminary Ridge. General Sykes came up with his division 
during the night, and was placed in the reserve by Meade. The 




GEN. WINFIELD S. HANCOCK. 



316 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

Federal right was on Gulp's Hill and the extreme left on Round 
Top, which was lield by Hancock and Sickles. Wadsworth 
and Slocum held Gulp's Hill, and were faced by Early and 
Johnson, of Hill's command, while Hood and McLaws, of 
Longstreet's command, confronted Hancock and Sickles. 
Both armies were anxious for battle, but neither Lee nor 
Meade coveted the distinction of opening the light. The 
latter was anxious over the non-arrival of Sedgwick, 
who with 15,000 men was some miles distant, and the 
former was not slow to perceive the advantageous position 
which Howard had secured. As a consequence, the day wore 
on with merely an occasional skirmish until Lee, probably sus- 
pecting the reason of Meade's quiescence, determined to begin 
the attack by a dash on Sickles, who held the ridge between 
Hancock and the Round Top. Expecting an attack, Sickles 
had extended and somewhat weakened his left, but before 
Meade could change this disposition, of which he saw the peril, 
the Confederate columns were pressing up with the intent of 
turfiing the flank. This work was assigned to Longstreet, and 
Hill was ordered to make an attack on Meade's centre while 
Ewell attacked the right. Longstreet sent Hood, supported by 
McLaws and Anderson, to attack the weakest portion of Sickles' 
line, the main object of the struggle being the possession of 
Little Round Top. The pressure of twenty-five thousand men 
turned Sickles' left, but Sykes came to his support. By des- 
perate efforts cannon were dragged to the summit and hastily 
mounted behind breastworks of loose stones. A terrible 
struggle ensued, in the course of which Generals Vincent and 
"Weed and Lieutenant Hazlett were killed, but the eminence 
was secured by the Federals. In the meantime another hand- 
to-hand conflict had been waged in the peach orchard 
and open fields at the foot of the hill, and in this Generals 
Cross and Zook were mortally wounded. Again the Federals 
were forced from tbeir position, and for a second time 
the possession of Little Round Top was endangered. At 
length General Crawford, Pennsylvania Reserves, with six regi- 
ments swept the Confederates down the northwestern side, tak- 
ing several hundred prisoners and killing General Barksdale. 



BATTLE OF GETTYSBXJRG. 317 

This ended the conflict at this point, and preparations were at 
once begun to fortify Little Round Top. During: this time severe 
fighting had been in progress on the left centre. General 
Willard had been killed, and Sickles had lost a leg. The en- 
gagement here was closed by a charge under the direction of 
General Hancock, who drove the Confederates back to their 
own lines. In other directions equally serious fighting had been 
going on. Early had made desperate efforts to storm the 
batteries on Cemetery Hill, the actual Federal centre, and his 
men with reckless gallantry had forced their way eutirely 
through one battery and fairly into another. Carroll's Brigade, 
however, came to the rescue, and the position was saved. On the 
extreme right Johnson, of Ewell's left division, had penetrated 
the woods in the rear of Gulp's Hill, and just before dark a 
terrific engagement ensued here, the Confederates penetrating 
the works near Spangler's Spring despite the gallant efforts of 
Green's brigade. No attempt, however, was made to follow up 
this advantage Still, the Confederate line hnd really been ad- 
vanced, and Lee claimed this as a victory. The slaughter, how- 
ever, had been fearful, the lowest estimates placing the killed 
and wounded on both sides at about forty thousand men. 

Though he had certainly suffered a slight repulse, Meade was 
satisfied to renew the struggle next day. During the night of 
the 2d Little Round Top was strengthened and the works on 
the extreme right were also put in readiness to meet the ex- 
pected advance. As early as four o'clock on the morning of July 
3d an artillery fire was opened on the Confederates who had ob- 
tained lodgment the previous night, and by eight o'clock 
General Geary's Division had swept the intruders off 
the right flank. Lee, perceiving that his original plan had 
failed, determined to throw his whole strength on Meade's cen- 
tre, and by noon had one hundred and forty-five guns leveled 
at Hancock's position on Cemetery Hill. But Meade had been 
preparing for this, and the heavy cannonade which began about 
one o'clock from the Confederate lines was promptly answered 
by an almost equal volume of iron hail. For some hours this 
furious artillery duel went on, and then a heavy, compact mass 
of Confederate infantry, led by General Pickett, swept across 



318 HISTORY OF THE CIVH. WAR. 

the plain to the assault of Cemetery Hill. Pickett was sup- 
ported on the right by Wilcox and on the left by Pettigrew, 
the entire assaulting column being some fifteen thousand 
strong. Tn the face of a galling artillery fire, which made fear- 
ful havoc in their ranks, they pressed on till close up to the 
Federal lines. Then a portion of Doubleday's command 
opened fire, and this being followed up by heavy fusillades from 
the divisions of Gibbons and Hayes, threw Pettigrew's troops 
into confusion, which soon developed into an actual rout. Petti- 
grew was severely wounded and two thousand of his men, with 
fifteen battle flags, were captured. The main assaulting column, 
however, pressed on, scrambled up the hill, broke through Han- 
cock's line, and, driving back part of Webb's brigade, triumph- 
antly raised a Confederate flag on top of Cemetery Hill. The 
advantage was of brief duration ; the Federal troops rallied 
and stemmed Pickett's advance. Then Stannard's Vermonters 
riddled the assaulting column, which broke in great disorder. 
Twenty-five hundred men and twelve battle flags were cap- 
tured. The Vermonters then fell on Wilcox and shattered his 
brigade. The death roll in this combat was terrible. Among 
the killed was General Garnett, and Generals Armistead and 
Kemper, who led the scaling party, were severely wounded. 

While this result was being achieved Meade had sent General 
Crawford to attack the Confederate right. General William 
McCandless, with his brigade and a regiment under Fisher, 
swept along the Emmettsburg road, broke up a brigade of 
Hood's division, captured two hundred and sixty men, and re- 
covered the ground from which Sickles had been driven the 
previous day. (General McCandless, one of the heroes of tliis 
brilliant sortie, has just died, in Philadelphia, June, 1884, from 
the effects of a wound probably received in this engagement). 
The three days' hard fighting ceased about sunset on July 3d, 
leaving Lee's army shattered and his invasion hopelessly foiled. 
Although the Federal victory was very complete, yet the 
morale of the army had been badly shaken, and Meade desisted 
from pressing his advantage until his men were somewhat 
recuperated. The Confederates were not only equally fatigued, 
but they were also in peril, as baffled invaders, and Lee 



lee's retreat from PENNSYLVANIA. 319 

promptly began his retrograde movement. Before night on the 
4th of July his wliole army was moving along the Hagerstown 
road, and was making for the Fairfield Pass of South Mountain. 
By July 12th his force was intrenched on the ridge between 
Williamsport and Falling Waters, waiting an opportunity to 
cross the Potomac, sw^ollen by recent storms, into Virginia. 

On July 5th Meade sent Sedgwick in pursuit of the fugitives, 
and Kilpatrick with his cavalry along the Chambersburg road 
to break up the wagon train. He also sent orders to General 
French to reoccupy Harper's Ferry, but that vigilant officer 
had already done so, and had destroyed the pontoon bridges 
by which Lee had hoped to cross at Falling Waters. The 
report made by Sedgwick of Lee's strong position convinced 
Meade that he must advance in force, but he moved cautiously, 
fearing surprises, and when on the 12th he reached Lee's posi- 
tion, it was found so well fortified that under the advice of a 
military council an attack was postponed. This delay saved 
Lee from total destruction, for with the energy of despair the 
Confederates during the night of the 13tli hastily constructed 
another bridge over which the troops of Hill and Longstreet 
passed, while Ewell's corps forded the river near Wilhamsport. 
The movement was skillfully planned and executed, but did 
not escape the notice of Kilpatrick, who fell upon Pettigrew's 
Division of Hill's rear guard, captured 1,500 men, and killed 
about one liundred and fifty. During the charge Major Webb, 
of the Sixth Michigan, was killed and the Confederate Petti- 
grew was mortally wounded. 

Lee had escaped with his army, his field equipment, and with 
some four thousand Federal prisoners, so that the full fruits of 
the glorious victory of Gettysburg had not been garnered, but, 
on the other hand, a formidable invasion of the Keystone State 
had been hurled back and an intended attack upon the National 
Capital by way of Maryland had been indefinitely postponed. 

It was felt that a great peril had been escaped, and therefore, 
in gratitude rather than in jubilation, the President,- on July 
15th, issued a proclamation setting apart August 6fch as a day 
of National Thanksgiving. This was devoutly observed through- 
out the loyal North. 



820 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

Meanwhile another desperate effort was made by Jeff ' Davis 
to obtain some kind of tiiplomatic recognition from the author- 
ities at Washington, doubtless for the purpose of impressing 
foreign nations and securing belligerent rights, moi-e than for 
any other motive, unless it might have been that of passing 
official spies through the Federal lines. He sent Alexander H. 
Stephens, Vice-President of the Confederacy, to Fortress Mon- 
roe, with a flag of truce, on the Torpedo gunboat. Arrived 
there, Stephens, who carried an official communication from 
" Jefferson Davis, Commander-in-Chief of the land and naval 
forces of the Confederate States, to Abraham Lincoln, Com- 
mander-in-Chief of the land and naval forces of the United 
States," required permission of Admiral S. H. Lee to proceed 
direct to Washington. As a matter of course this demand was 
referred to the Secretary of the Navy, and, equally as a matter 
of course, was officially spurned. Stephens did not go to the 
Capital of the United States, but, returning in wrath to the 
Confederate capital, Richmond, held a conference with Jeff 
Davis and Judah P. Benjamin, the result of which was the 
preparation of an address, ostensibly to the troops under Lee's 
command, to whom it was read on the day (August 6th) that 
the North was observing Thanksgiving service.-, but really de- 
signed for effect abroad. This document, unequaled in men- 
dacity, contained among other misrepresentations the follow- 
ing paragraph : 

" Your enemy continue a struggle in which our final triumph must be 
inevitable. Unduly elated with their recent successes, they imagine that 
temporary reverses can quell your spirits or shake your detennination, and 
they are now gathering heavy masses for a general invasion, in the vain 
hope that by desperate efforts success may at length be reached. You know 
too well, my counirymen, what they mean by success. Their malignant rage 
aims at nothing less than the extermination of yom'selves, your wives and 
your children. They seek to destroy what they cannot plunder. They pro- 
pose as spoils of victory that your homes shall be partitioned among wreicUes 
whose atrocioiis cruelty has stamped infamy on their Government. They 
design to incite servile insurrection and light the fires of incendiarism when- 
ever they can reach your homes, and they debauch an inferior race, here- 
tofore docile and contented, by pi'oraising them the indulgence of the evilest 
passions as the price of their treachery. Conscious of their inability to pre- 
vail by legitimate warfare, not daring to make peace, lest they should be 



CLOSING EVENTS OF 1863. 321 

hurled from their seats of power, the men who now rule in Washin^on re- 
fuse even to confer on the subject of putting an end to the outrages which 
disgrace our age, or listen to a suggestion for conducting the war according 
to the usages of civilization." 

We have previously summarized the military movements in 
other sections, and will, therefore, continue to trace the opera- 
tions of Meade in pursuit of Lee, and thus close the record of 
1863. 

Meade's army crossed the Potomac in the vicinity of Berlin, 
on July 17th and 18tli, and pushed southward by way of War- 
renton, which was reached on the 25th, the various gaps of the 
Blue Ridge having been seized on the route, Tliere was slight 
delay at Manassas Gap, where Meade expected to encounter 
Lee in force, but when the Federal troops pressed on to Front 
Royal, it was found that the demonstration made by a brigade 
of Ewell's Corps had been merely a cover, and that Lee's main 
army had passed by and occupied Culpeper Court House. About 
this time the needs of Bragg in Tennessee compelled Lee to dis- 
patch part of his force in that direction, and the fact being de- 
tected by Meade, he at once moved across the Rappahannock, 
dislodged Lee and occupied Culpeper Court House. The new 
position taken up by Lee on the south side of the Rapidan was 
too well protected to make an assault prudent, particularly as 
Meade's army had also been depleted by the withdrawal of 
Howard's and Slocum's corps, which, under General Hooker, 
were sent to join the the Army of the Cumberland. During 
August General Buford had a sharp engagement with the Con- 
federate cavalry under Stuart. Early in September General 
Kilpatrick crossed the Rappahannock, and after driving the 
Confederates for some distance, burned a couple of gunboats 
which they had previousl}'- captured. On September 16th Gen- 
eral Pleasonton, with Generals Buford, Kilpatrick and Gregg, 
took a large force of cavalry across the Rappahannock fords 
above Fredericksburg, and supported by the Second Corps, 
under General Warren, made a reconnoissance in force, which 
resulted in the discovery of the weakening of Lee by the depart- 
ure of Longstreet. This decided Meade's plans, and he began 
preparations for an advance by sending Buford, on October 



322 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

10th, to take possession of the upper fords of the Rap- 
idan. Before this movement could be carried out Lee had 
crossed the fords, and sweeping round by Madison Court 
House, was on Meade's right and attacking Kilpatiick's 
outlying cavalry with such vigor that they were forced 
back on CulpejDer. This surprise, for such it really was, dis- 
arranged Meade's plans, and on the night of the 11th he withdrew 
across the Rappahannock, blowing up the bridge to cover his 
retreat. Although Stuart's cavalry jjressed closely on the heels of 
Meade, the main body of the Confederates halted at Culpeper, 
on the supposition that Lee intended to give battle at this point. 
Meade recrossed the river next morning, but Lee had begun 
another movement to gain Meade's rear and the Federals were 
compelled to fall back. In the meantime General Gregg had 
been surrounded by the Confederate advance and routed with 
the loss of five hundred men. Both armies now pushed on for 
Bristow station. Hill and Ewell with a large Confederate force 
being sent in advance by Lee, to intercept Meade at this point. 
When Hill reached there, the main body of the Army of the 
Potomac had passed and was well on the way to Centreville. 
Hill was about to charge on the rear guard when Warren's 
Corps, after a skirmish with Ewell near Auburn, came up be- 
hind him. This diverted his attack, and he faced about to meet 
Warren. A sharp engagement ensued, in wliich the Confeder- 
ates were worsted, losing four hundred and fifty men, who 
were captured. Hill was thus placed in an awkward dilemma, 
but Warren was not much better off, for before dark Ewell 
came up. Fortunately it was too late on that October night 
for a further battle, and under cover of darkness, Warren ef- 
fected liis escape and joined the main army on the morning of 
the 15th. 

Baffled in his attempt to gain Meade's rear, Lee began a re- 
treat, first destroying the Orange and Alexandria Railroad from 
Bristovv to the Rappahannock. Meade was detained by this 
movement for some three weeks at Warrenton, and then pro- 
posed to advance on the Fredericksburg Heights, but Halleck 
objected, and therefore, on November 7th, an advance was 
made on Rappahannock Station, General Sedgwick, with the 



CONFEDERATE WORKS AT MINE RUN. 333 

right Wing going to this point, while General French pushed on 
to Kelley's Ford. At Rappahannock Station Sedgwick found a 
portion of Early's Division in strong entrenchments guarding 
a pontoon bridge. A furious engagement ensued and at length 
the Fu:st Brigade, under Colonel Ellmaker, 119th Pennsylvania 
advanced to storm the works. Soon afterward General David 
A. Russell ordered a general charge and the position was car- 
ried with fearful slaughter. The Federals obtained possession 
of the pontoon bridge, took some sixteen hundred prisoners and 
captured a number of guns, small arms, etc. While this was 
m progress, General Birney, of French's column, the left wing 
had waded the river at KeUey's Ford, stormed the rifle-pits, cap- 
tured five hundred prisoners and drove the Confederates from 
the position. This unexpected blow again disconcerted Lee 
and he rapidly fell back beyond the Rapidan. Here he con- 
structed a line of works along Mine Run, and then, withdrawing 
Ewell's Corps from Morton's Ford on the Rapidan, and calling 
up Hill's Division, he prepared to defend his position, which 
extended over eight miles on an irregular ridge, every confor- 
niation of which was seized on and rendered available for 
offensive or defensive works. On his flank and rear was a 
forest, on his front the marshy banks of Mine Run, and in ad- 
dition an abatis of pine trees. 

General Meade determined to attempt to turn this position 
and getting around to Orange Court House, destroy his foe in 
detail. Having made all dispositions, he began his advance 
on November 26th. There were, however, delays and misun- 
derstandings, so that the intended points were not reached with 
precision. However, on the 28th, after careful reconnoitering. 
It was decided to attack the works next morning. General 
Warren was to atack the right at eight o'clock, and Sedgwick 
to assault the left of Lee's position about an hour later ; mean- 
while a heavy fire was to be opened on the centre from the bat- 
teries. This programme was but imperfectly carried out. The 
batteries opened fire and a dash of skirmishers across the Rapi- 
dan dislodged the Confederate pickets ; but Warren found the 
right too well protected and the Confederates so strongly massed 
that he hesitated to begin the attack. Sedgwick, of course 



334 HISTORY OP THE CIVIL WAR. 

refrained from advancing until he heard Warren^s guns, and thus 
nothing was done in that quarter. General Meade, after inspec- 
tion of the works, concluded that Warren's caution was com- 
mendable, and he ordered a suspension of the entire niove- 
ment. After several days' observation and consultation Meade 
decided that the risks would be too great, the more especially 
as Lee had been actively strengthening his position. On De- 
cember 1st, therefore, Meade began a retreat, and recrossing the 
Rapidan went into winter quarters between that stream and 
the Rappahannock. Lee was well content to be severely left 
alone and did not attempt to impede his movements. The 
two armies thus confronting each other for nine months, no 
other events of any importance occurring until May of the 
following year. 

We have previously mentioned, among the movements of 
1863, General Gillmore's attack on Charleston and the bombard- 
ment of Forts Wagner, Gregg and Sumter, but in skirmishing 
around for any facts bearing upon the events of the war we 
have fallen upon the following, in the Brooklyn Eagle and 
it is so pertinent, as well as so quaintly interesting, that we 
feel impelled to transplant it bodily. '* The Swamp Angel," so 
named by Sergeant. Felter, of the New York Volunteer En- 
gineers, obtained a celebrity that was world-wide, but very few 
people ever had more than a kind of ghostly notion of the 
miasmatic monster, therefore the inside history of its construc- 
tion is decidedly apropos: 

" Did you ever hear the story of how the Swamp Angel was put into posi- 
tion before Charleston? " asked a veteran of the engineers of a group of vet- 
erans in Brooklyn, 

"I've read about it several times," said one of the group. 

" Well, I never read an account of it yet that wasn't crooked," returned 
the engineer. " I was there myself and know the whole inside of the busi- 
ness, and I'll tell 3-ou just how it a\ as. General Gillmore was in command 
of the engineers at the siege of Charleston. One day in the midsummer of 
'63 he sent Captain Michel, now general at West Pouit, to see whether there 
was any point on the coast where guns could be placed to attack Charleston. 
Michel reported that the coast was all swamp for three or four miles in- 
land— nothing but mud, water and slush forty or fifty feet deep. He had 
gone half a mile or so in a boat, making very poor progress through the bul- 
rushes, and the stench from the carcasses of animals thrown into the 



HISTORY OP THE "SWAMP ANGEL." 325 

swamp made him sick. Gillmore was in a bush hut eating supper with Colo- 
nel (now General) Serrell when he got Michel's report. He tui-ned to Ser- 
rell and asked him whether he thought it possible to get guns posted in the 
swamp. Serrell said he thought nothing was impossible; he called Lieu- 
tenant Harrold and sent him to reconnoitre. Harrold was gone half the 
night, and came back very much bedraggled and tired. He said it was im- 
possible to get the guns through, and impossi:;le to i ount them even if they 
could be got through. Using his utmost efforts he had only been 
able to get between two and three miles into the swamp. Serreil 
said it had got to be done. Harrold asked liow he was going to do it, 
and said it would require men with legs forty feet long to get through that 
swamp. Well, (he projecc of posting guns in the swamp got abroad in the 
camp, and the soldiers made great fun about it. They said that Drs. Dal- 
rymple and Snow, two of the medical ofQcers ou General Gillmore's staff, 
were appomted to splice the legs of our men to get them to the required 
length. Next morning Colonel Serrell took Lieutenant E Iwards with him 
and started to look at the swamp for himself. They got as long a plank as 
there was in the camp and waded into the swamp, each holding one end of 
the plank. The day was fearfully hot, the work was terrible getting through 
the rushes and water-plants and thick, sUmy slush, and the smell of the 
swamp was sickening, but they persevered, workmg slowly out till thoy came 
to a creek. Here they were stopped for a time, as it had a considerable 
current and was deep, but after a while they got the plank fitted so that one 
held It while the other crawled over and held it still in his turn. Then, with 
mfinite labor, they went ou a mile farther toward Charleston. Finally they 
got to the water's edge, four and a half miles from Charleston. Here the 
ground was more solid. There were oyster-shells and winkles and spiral 
aureoles. They took a bearing to the steeple of St. Michael's Church m 
Charleston, and another bearing to Fort Moultrie, and another to Fort 
Johnson, and so located their own position in the swamp. Then they 
worked down the edge of the open water to Block Island, and so 
returned, terribly played out and dirty, but full of hope. ' Colonel 
Serrell told General Gillmore that he thought it possible to get guns 
into such position in the swamp that they might bombard Charles- 
ton, and that night submitted a plan for establishmg the wished-for battery. 
In this plan he estimated that it would require 9,000 days' work to put just 
one gun into position (we reckoned by the day's work of one man then- 
9,000 days' work of one man, or one day's work of 9,000 men). This gun 
was to b>^ of extraordinary power, and was to rest on a platform composed 
of three thicknesses of three-inch yellow pine plank ; two of the layers of 
plank crossing, while the other traversed them diagonally ; all were to be 
strongly spiked together and underneath them were loads of brush and sand- 
bags. Pilmg, consistmg of heavy planks with sharp points, was to be driven 
twenty feet into the mud, so that the tops came flush with the platform 
which was to surround it ; this, again, was to be strongly spiked, and that 
completed the inner platform. All around this immense quantities of brush 
were to be thrown into the swamp, and on top of this brush a grillage of 



326 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

logs, strongly fastened together, but totally distinct from the inner platform, 
was to smroimd that platform. On the top of this grillage of logs sandbags 
were to be piled till they sunk it considerably, in spite of the brush. As it 
sunk it was to force up the platform in the centre. 

" Well, ihe plan was submitted and approved, and men were detailed right 
away to put it into execution. Meanwhile everybody was lau2:hing at the 
engineers, and the Charleston papers got wind of the project, and made great 
sport of it. One of the comic papers had a very funny cartoon about an old 
negro carrying the ' Swamp Angel's ' compliments to General Beauregard in 
Charleston. Another paper would have it that the Yankees were going to 
drain the swamp, which, of course, was impossible, as it was fed direct from 
the Atlantic Ocean ; another paper again insisted that we were going to 
dyke the swamp across ; another that we'd sent North for people to bring 
down bridge structure ; another that we had discovered something won- 
derful in pneumatics, and still another that we were going to use a balloon 
battery. Wall, the engineers went ahead, in spite of all the laughing. They 
built a bridge to the point of swamp which Colonel Serrell and Lieutenant 
Harrold had surveyed, and soldiers carried out the planks and logs and 
10,000 bags of sand, and the battery was built. The work was mostly done 
at night, and the hardest job of all was to drive the piling, ftlany men were 
killed at the work, for the rebs shelled us, but it was all done at last. We 
had put up a sham fort a little distance dOTvu the coast, just a simple mass 
of leafy boughs. It bothered the life out of the rebs; they cou'dn't make 
out what was going on behind it, and shelled it incessantly. Well, when we 
had got the swamp fort aU ready, we built a flat bottomed scow, put a 7-inch 
rifled Parrott on her, waited till high water came, floated her through, and 
got her into position. We couldn't get elevation enough on it at first, 
thou h, and had to cut away the rear gun carriage; that fixed things to a 
nicety. Oh, wasn't that gun a daisy— never a cannon before or since had 
such a range. You can guess how nicely we had it trained when I tell you 
Lieutenant Nathan Edwards and Colonel Serrell laid the line of fire, 
calculating to put a shell into the rebel head-quarters, five and a half 
miles off, and they only missed their mark by a few f?et. Smas'.ed right 
through the house next door, that shell did, and Captain Macbeth, who 
was then on Beauregard's staff, afterward told me that he was sitting at 
his desk when the thing occtu'ed. An old nigger came running into him 
in a great state of excitement, saying, ' Massa! Massa! dar's a Yankee 
shell come an' made a hole io de street big nuff to put ter omnibus in.' A 
lieutenant of Colonel Pleasanton's regiment fired that shot. I tell you it 
woke the Charleston folks up, and Meerscham and Johnson and other 
forts fired whole mines of metal at us, but it was all no good. We 
could fix up in the night all they could knock down in the day, for their 
shot would go into the sandbags and do no harm, and, besides, we had a 
reserve platform of sandbags behind the battery. The gun was fired nine- 
teen times that first night and did great execution, but the panic it caused was 
even greater than the execution it did, for Charleston had imagined that it 
could not be attacked on this side, and consequently had prepared no 



HTSTORY OF THE "SWAMP ANGEL." 327 

defenses. General Gillmore, some davs before we had opened fire, had sent 
a flag of truoe to Beauregard telfing him that he proposed to open fire on 
Charleston, and warning all non-combitants to retire, but Beauregard said 
it was impossible to bombard the city without a fleet. Next morniog, after 
the Swamp Anp-el's ' salute, Beauregard sent a steamship with a flag of 
truce to us. His communication argued that ifc was wrong, unfair and alto- 
gether against military precedent, to attack him in rear of his works. Gill- 
mcire replied that it was both right and fair, and that, as far as precedents 
went, he was making them, and so the truce ended, and the fight between the 
'Swamp Angel ' and the forts continued, with the advantage largely on the 
' Angel's ' side, for, it had so much the longer range and so much the larger 
mark, it knocked the whole lower part of the city to pieces." 



CHAPTER XXX. 



ifiARLT MOVEMENTS IN 1864^GENERAL SHERMAN'S EXPEDITION FROM VICKS- 
BUHG— CAPTURE OF FORT PILLOW BY THE CONFEDERATES — BRUTAL MASSACRE 
UNDER ORDERS OF GENERAL FORREST— THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION- 
FAILURE OF THE MOVEMENT— COLONEL BAILEY' S REMARKABLE ENGINEERING 
ON THE RED RIVER— GENERAL BANKS SUPERSEDED BY GENERAL CANBY. 

The earliest military movements in 1864 took place in the 
Mississippi region. General Sherman, after the return of his 
troops from Knox vi lie, Tennessee, had been for some time, in 

January, stationed 
along the line of the 
Memphis and Char- 
leston Railroad from 
Scottsboro to Hunts- 
ville, in northern 
Alabama. At the 
end of that month 
he was ordered to 
Vicksburg, from 
which point an ex- 
pedition was planned 
for the purpose of 
capturing and de- 
stroying the Confed- 
erate iron works at 
S e 1 m a , Alabama. 
In addition to this 
an advance upon 
Mobile and the destruction of the Confederate railroad con- 
nections of Eastern Mississippi were operations included in 
the scheme. On February 3d General Sherman left Vicks- 
burg with four divisions, in all about 2,300 men, Generals 
McPherson and Hurlbut accompanying him at the head 
of the troops detached from their respective corps. He 
reached Meridian on the 15th of February, and here, at the 




GEN. WILLIAM T. SHERMAN. 



THE MASSACRE AT FORT PILLOW. 329 

intersection of the railroad from Mobile to Corinth with 
that from Vicksburg to Montgomery, the tracks were torn 
up for a distance of about one hundred and fifty miles. 
Bridges were burned, locomotives destroyed, the torch was 
applied to Imge stores of cotton, and, in fact. Confederate 
property of every description was given to the flames. Here 
Sherman expected to form a junction with a cavalry force under 
General W. S. Smith, which was dispatched from Memphis. 
This, however, was frustrated by the bold advance of 
the Confederate cavalry under General Forrest, who 
intercepted Smith about one hundred miles north of Meridian 
and drove him back to Memphis with the loss of fi.ve guns. 
Smith reached Memphis, after a forced march, on the evening 
of the 25th of February. In the meantime Sherman had been 
anxiously awaiting the arrival of the cavalry, but finding that 
the junction had been prevented, he decided to fallback, and, re- 
tracing his route frotn Meridian to Canton, he reached the latter 
place on February 26th with some 400 prisoners, about 5,000 
negroes and a large number of loyal white refugees. After dis- 
posing of Smith, the dashing Confederate Forrest swept north- 
ward, entered Tennessee, and on March 24th captured Union 
City. Pushing on to Paducah, Kentucky, he made a vigorous 
assault upon Fort Anderson, into which Colonel Hicks, with 
about 700 men only, had retreated in his advance. Forrest had 
some 3,000 troops, and threatened to carry the place by storm, 
but it was gallantly defended, and on the 27th, fearing the ap- 
proach of reinforcements, the chagrined Forrest was com- 
pelled to draw off, with a loss of more than three hundred men. 
Turning back into Tennessee, he appeared before Fort Pillow, 
on the Mississippi, about seventy miles above Memphis, on 
April loth. Major Bradford defended his post valiantly, but 
Forrest, under the Confederate trick of a flag of truce, con- 
trived to advance his men secretly along the ravines, and then 
having demanded a suiTender, which was refused, the place 
was taken by surprise. Then began one of the most atrocious 
scenes of the war, for Forrest, desiring to avoid the in- 
cumbrance of prisoners, inaugurated a wholesale massacre 
of whites and blacks, men, women and children, at least 



330 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

three hundred persons being butchered in cold blood, 
under the personal supervision of Generals Forrest and 
Chalmers, who entered the place at opposite sides at 
the same time. About the same time Buford demanded the 
surrender of Columbus, threatening to show no quarter to 
negro troops should the place be taken by assault. Before he 
could get ready for attack, however, the approach of General 
S. D. Sturgis from Memphis convinced Forrest and his myrmi- 
dons that their raid had lasted long enough, and he, with 
Buford, retreated toward Jackson, and subsequently got into 
Northern Mississippi with considerable plunder. On the 
retreat, Colonel Bradford, who had been captured at Fort 
Pillow, was treacherously led out of the ranks and shot dead ; 
the excuse being that, as a native of a slave-labor State, he 
was a traitor to the Confederacy by being in the Federal 
service. Early in June Forrest was preparing for another raid, 
his main purpose being the prevention of reinforcements reach- 
ing Sherman. Sturgis advanced with about 9,000 infantry and 
artillery, and 3,000 cavalry under General Grierson in the 
advance, to check Forrest's operations, but on June the 10th 
Forrest fell upon Grierson 's division, and, after a sharp con- 
flict, the Federals were utterly routed, and lost about three 
thousand five hundred men. Early in July it ^vas learned that 
Forrest had made his headquarters near Tupelo, on the Mobile 
and Ohio Raihoad, and General A. J. Smith, vt-ith 12,000 men, 
moved forw^ard to attack him there. During some sharp 
fighting on the 12th, 13tb and 14th of July the Confederates 
sustained severe losses, but the Federals had also received some 
heavy blows, and therefore Smith led his troops back and 
rested them for about three weeks near Memphis. When he 
again moved forward to attack Forrest, that slippery soldier 
was not to be found. While Smith was endeavoring to solve 
the mystery of his disappearance, Forrest himself dashed into 
Memphis at dawn on August the 21st, expecting to capture 
Generals Harlbut, Washburn, and Buckland. FaiUng to find 
them, he took their staff officers and some three hundred 
privates prisoners, and retreated with them after about an 
hour's looting in the city. 



THE RED RIVER EXPEDITION. 331 

We must now turn to the Red River expedition under General 
Banks. We left Banks in New Orleans at the close of 1863 
planning another expedition into Texas. On January 23, 1864, 
he received a dispatch from General Halleck stating that it was 
jjroposed to operate against Texas by the line of the Red River, 
with the further object of capturing Shreveport, the seat of 
the Confederate government of Louisiana. General Banks had 
serious apprehensions of the impracticability of this scheme, 
but as Halleck insisted that the best military opinions of the 
generals of the West favored the plan, he did not feel at 
liberty to press his objections further. That he did object, 
however, goes a long way toward lifting from his shoulders 
the responsibility of the disastrous failures which ensued. 
According to Halleck's plan, a strong land force was to march 
up Red River, supported by a fleet of gunboats under command 
of Admiral Porter. The army was composed of three divisions, 
one from Vicksburg, under General A. J. Smith ; another from 
New Orleans, under General Franklin, to whom General Banks 
turned over his own column ; and the third from Little Rock, 
under General Steele. On March 7th, Smith's advance began 
moving forward to Red River, and was joined by the fleet 
under Porter. On the 14th Fort De Russy was reached, and 
after some sharp fighting it was taken by assault. The Con- 
federates retreated up the river to Alexandria, but they were 
driven out on the 16th, and five days later they were 
surprised at Henderson's Hill by some of Smith's troops 
under General Mower. The Confederates lost four guns, 
and about 250 of the men were captured, together 
with about two hundred horses. Beyond this point tlie 
progress of the expedition was slow, the rapids of the Red River 
being formidable obstacles to the passage of the gunboats. 
Natchitoches was next occupied, and then the co-operation of 
the land and naval forces ceased, for the road turned from the 
river in a circuit to the left. The flotilla, however, proceeded 
slowly U13 stream toward Shreveport. On April 8th, as the 
advance brigades were nearing Mansfield, they encountered the 
Confederate main force advantageously posted. A severe battle 
ensued at Sabine Cross Roads, resulting in heavy loss to the 



332 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

Federals, for the Confederates captured about one thousand 
prisoners, ten guns and one hundred and fifty -six loaded supply- 
wagons. The retreat of the Federals was stopped at Pleasant 
Grove, and there the exultant Confederates received a severe 
check next day. General Banks, who had by this time joined 
the troops, decided, however, to fall further back to a better 
vantage ground at Pleasant Hill, and there give final battle. 
The Confederates came up in great force. The fighting was 
desperate on all sides. The Texas Cavalry, under General 
Sweitzer, suffered terribly in a furious charge, not more than 
ten of the regiment escaping. Toward night the Confederate 
attack had not only been repulsed, but the right wing of their 
force had been driven back more than a mile. Although the 
Federal troops were victorious in this last engagement, yet, 
under all circumstances, it was deemed advisable to cease 
further efforts to advance and to fall back on Grand Ecore. 
On reaching here it was found that the Red River had 
fallen so rapidly that many of Porter's larger vessels were 
aground, and the river was still falling. The Confederates, 
too, were swarming around and at various points had planted 
batteries on the banks. With some difficulty Porter got his 
fleet over the bar at Grand Ecore, and then leaving Lieutenant- 
Commander Selfridge in charge, he went down the river to 
Alexandria, where the still greater peril of the rapids threat- 
ened the returning fleet. Lieutenant-Colonel Joseph Bailey, of 
Wisconsin, Engineer of the Ninth Corps, had conceived a plan 
for building a dam at the foot of the rapids, and then, by 
means of the pent-up water, through a sluice-way, floating the 
vessels past the rapids. His advice, however, was rejected for 
some time, and it was not till after Porter had blown up the 
Eastport, which had grounded sixty miles below Grand Ecore, 
and several other vessels had been damaged by conflict with 
shore batteries, that Bailey's scheme received any attention. 
By April 25th both the land and naval forces were at Alexan- 
dria, on the Red River, and it was now all-important to get to 
the Mississippi. General Grant had meantime ordered the clos- 
ing of the operations against Shreveport and the return of Sher- 
man's troops for other movements. There were differences 



GENERAL CANBV SUPERSEDES GENERAL BANKS. 883 

between Porter and Banks as to Bailey's scheme, but finally 
Banks told him to go ahead and gave him authority to 
employ all the men he wanted. On May 1st the work 
was begun, and by the 8th, with the aid of nearly all the 
troops, a dam nearly eight hundred feet in length had been 
constructed of stone, timber and sunken coal barges. The 
water on the rapids was raised seven feet, and by evening of 
the 13th of May, with a few trifling misadventures, the 
fleet was floated into the deeper water below. The 
army and fleet then moved cautiously down the river, attacked 
at various points by the Confederates. Three of the vessels 
were captured in these engagements and one was burned to pre- 
vent the Confederates gaining possession of it. On May 16th 
the army had a sharp engagement near Marksville, and then 
on the 19th the troops crossed the Atchafalaya at Simms' Port 
on an improvised bridge constructed under the direction of 
Colonel Bailey. On May 20th General Banks was relieved of his 
command, and General E. R. S. Can by assumed charge of the 
troops as part of the Military Dividon of West Mississippi. 
General Steele had advanced from Little E,ock to aid in the 
capture of Shreveport, but learning of the Federal reverses in 
other directions and having suffered severely in several engage- 
ments, he found himself compelled to fall back on Little Rock. 
In one of his battles, at Jenkinson's Ferry, the Confederates lost 
three thousand men, including three general officers, and Steele 
lost about seven hundred of his troops. After a terrible march 
through swamps Steele and his scattered forces reached Little 
Rock on May 2d about the time when Bailey was building his 
dam at Alexandria. The entire expedition was a lamen- 
table failure and the disgrace of it was keenly felt at head- 
quarters in Washington. We will now turn to more important 
matters at the Capital. 



CHAPTER XXXI. 

THE BANK OF LIEUTENANT-GENERAL REVIVED— GENERAL V. S. GRANT MADE 
GENERAL-IN-CHIEF — RETIREMENT CF GENERAL HALLECK— PREPARING FOR A 
VIGOROUS CLOSING CAMPAIGN— GENERAL SHERMAN'S MOVEMENTS— THE TWO 
BATTLES BEFORE ATLANTA — SHERMAN'S OCCUPATION OF ATLANTA — TOTAL DE- 
STRUCTION OP hood's ARMY — " MARCHING THROUGH GEORGIA. " 

One of the most significant events at the beginning of 1864, 
and one which should perhaps have taken precedence in this 
history, was the promotion of General Ulysses S. Grant to the 
foremost position among the actors in the final scenes of the 
great national drama. 

It had been evident that General Halleck, though animated 
by loyal zeal, w^as not ready enough for the continually arising 
emergencies. Not only did the administration feel this, but 
Congress and the country perceived it. With the view of solv- 
ing the problem which seemed to be bothering the President, 
Representative E. B. Washburne submitted a proposition in the 
House for a revival of the grade of Lieutenant-General of the 
army, a rank one degree only below that of Commander-in-Chief 
constitutionally reserved for the President of the United States. 
This was amended by Mr. Ross, of Illinois, with the condition 
appended that General U. S. Grant should be such Lieutenant- 
General. The motion was introduced on December 14th, 1863, 
and in its amended form was adopted by the House of Repre- 
sentatives on February 1, 1864. 

The House measure was carried to the Senate, and there a 
further amendment was tacked on, making the office perpetual 
(whatever that may mean) and prescribing that the Lieutenant- 
General should be under the President, the General-in-Chief of 
the armies of the Republic (a profoundly inconsequent pro- 
vision, seeing that the Constitution almost expressly implied 
such an arrangement). However, a conference committee 
agreed upon a bill embodying all these provisions, and this be- 
came law by the President's signature on March 1st, who at 



GRANT APPOINTED LIEUTENANT-GENERAL, 335 

once appointed Grant to the revived position. Tbe Senate con 
Wd tins appointment on March .d, and on the 9th Generai 
Grant who had been summoned from tbe field ^vas nei^on! iv 
presented with his important commission by P ejident VTn 1^ 
m the White House. The entire Cabinet General H.^l^l^ 
several othei. important officials were iesenHlfs ^t a^l 
the bnef addresses of the chief personages heme ZT^J 
sive. On March 10th the President issufd an^rdVfoLaZS' 
vesmg General Grant with ti>e chief command of al"mes" 

nf^ %?«'!' ''"'' "^''^"'"^ «^°"-^' Halleck to,iutva Ch ef 
of Staff of he Army after stating that he was relieved from com 
mand " at his own request. " General Grant at once started fm" 

onMT:ct mnf "'%"" ^P^-«-"Paign, and irN^hviu: 
on March l,th, he issued an order recapitulating his annoint 
ment, announcing his assumption of chief command anTr.' 
h.s headquarters would be with the Army Ttb:p;t:m'a:t 

p.iirtL— aSns^rtirrr: ^™r--- - 

Federal troops, and thesl controlled bv the'?' ''""' ''''"" 
«.t,ess energy and dauntless" VsLralTtrs*' 

thf Get::^rctef^trs rr —^'^v' ^^-^^ -<» 

defended by the Irmv of 1 « ''t.T°" Richmond, still 

backbone of all the C'm^f^/iL * "PP'ies, in tact the very 

R M.,T=i, <-onfederate resources. Maior-General T 

BMcPherson commanding the Department and Army of it 

ScSln'sf ''' '•'™'" °' the Cumberland andolwre 
included m Sherman's command. The total number of men 



336 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

in the three armies under Sherman's control was close on one 
hundred thousand. 

Reserving for the close of our history the direct sweep of 
events by which General Grant, with the Army of the Potomac, 
put the finishing stroke upon the fortunes of the Confederate 
hosts, we will by a summary narrative cover the movements of 
General Sherman up to the time when he received the sur- 
render of Johnston's army at Raleigh, N. C, on April 26th, 1865, 
just about one year (within four days) of the date on which the 
advance from Chattanooga was begun. 

When Lieutenant-General Grant had developed his plans he 
sent orders to General Sherman to move on General John- 
ston, then at Dalton, and afterward press on to Atlanta. These 
orders were received on April 30, 1864, and the advance was 
begun on May 6th. The Confederate forces under Johnston, 
then massed about Dalton, numbered some 55,000 men, infantry 
and artillery, in three divisions, commanded by Generals W. 
J. Hardee, J. B. Hood and Leonidas Polk, and about 10,000 
cavalry under General Wheeler. 

The forces under General Sherman were sub-commanded as 
follows : Army of the Cumberland, Major-General George H. 
Thomas ; Army of the Ohio, Major-General J. M. Schofield, and 
Army of the Tennessee, Major-General J. B. McPherson. The 
entire Federal force numbered about 100,000 men. Opposite 
the Union Army and between it and the Confederates was the 
Rocky Face Ridge, through which were a couple of passes 
known as Buzzard's Roost Gap and Snake Creek Gap, the for- 
mer, which was nearest the Federal lines, being held in force by 
the Confederates. Through the latter McPherson pushed his 
troops and came on the Confederate position, south of Dalton, 
about the same time that Schofield, with the Army of the Ohio, 
moved from Red Clay and menaced the position on the north. 
General Thomas had, meantime, made a demonstration on Buz- 
zard's Roost Gap, in Johnston's front. Finding that this com- 
bined movement was likely to turn one or other of his flanks, 
Johnston fell back to Resaca, and here, on May 14th and 15th, 
two sharp engagements ensued, the second of which compelled 
Johnston to abandon his position and cross the Oostenaula leav- 



ENaAGEMENT AT RESACA. 337 

ing four guns and a quantity of stores behind him. Retreating 
by way of Calhoun and Kingston to Dallas, Johnston had bv 
May 26th very strongly intrenched himself, with his lines 
extendmg from Dallas to Marietta. After several days 
spent m skirmishing and reconnoitering, Sherman was 
again preparing to turn Johnston's right, when on May 28th 
the Confederates fell heavily on MePherson, at Dallas This 
assault was repulsed, but a similar movement upon Howard 
was more successful. Sherman pressed on in spite of natural 
obstacles, and on June 4th Johnston again fell back, and 
took up a formidable position, embracing Big and Little 
Kenesaw, and Lost and Pine mountains,with the Chattahoochee 
River behmd him and hastily constructed but powerful works 
covering his front. By constant manoeuvring Sherman com- 
pelled Johnston to contract his lines and concentrate on Great 
Kenesaw Mountain. On June 22d this constant pressure so 
UTitated the Confederates that General J. B. Hood made a 
dash at Sherman's lines, attempting to sever the communica- 
tions of Thomas and Schofield. Gallant and sudden as was the 
attack, It failed utterly, and Hood was driven back in great 
confusion. Siierman determined to follow up this repulse, and 
therefore ordered an advance on June 27th upon Johnston's left 
centre at and south of Kenesaw Mountain. The assault was 
vigorously made, but was disastrously repulsed, the Federal 
loss being about three thousand men, including Generals C G 
Barker and D. McCook. Sherman's vigorous policy, however' 
aUowed of no crying over spilt milk; in fact, he never allowed 
his men to rest long enough to know that they had been 
beaten. Consequently on July 2d an advance in force was 
ordered for the next morning. During the night Johnston 
abandoned his position, and fell back toward Atlanta. 
The Federal army followed him up, and even pressed 
upon his new positions on the other side of the Chat- 
tahoochee. On July 9th another advance in force virtu- 
ally forced Johnston within the lines protecting Atlanta 
It was, perhaps, fortunate that at this juncture the Con- 
federate President, Jeff Davis, who was constantlv meddling 
in military matters, of which he had ab .ut as much' knowledge 



338 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

as a goose has of grammar, chose to consider that Johnston's 
repeated, retreats indicated incompetency, and summarily 
superseded him by turning over the command to General J. B. 
Hood. For some days Sherman busied himself in collecting 
his stores and making arrangements for the investment of 
Atlanta, now only eight miles distant, and from the nature of 
its converging railroads and its manufacturing and storage 
capacities, a point of great importance. On the 17th of July 
the advance began, and on the 20th the various divisions of 
Sherman's army had closed in upon the city. General Scho- 
field had meantime seized Decatur ; McPherson had destroyed 
much of the railroad track to the eastward, and General Rous- 
seau, with two thousand cavalry, was raiding round west of 
Opelika, destroying a network of branch railroads. On July 
20th Hood made another of his daring dashes, but was again 
repulsed in an engagement which cost him some five thousand 
men ; the Federal loss was about fifteen hundred men. On the 
21st of July General Sherman found that Hood had abandoned 
his outlying positions and retired into Atlanta. The next day 
McPherson, with the Army of the Tennessee, prepared to move 
from Decatur on the Confederate works at Atlanta. In the 
meantime the Confederate General Hardee, by a night march, 
had reached the left and rear of the Federal lines, and f»rll 
heavily upon them. McPherson came up just as a charge of 
Hardee's had cut a gap between the troops of Dodge and Blair, 
and at the same moment a Confederate sharpshooter, a name- 
sake, one Major McPherson, took deliberate aim and shot him 
dead. The death of General McPherson was a sad loss, but 
General John A. Logan was at once placed in command 
of the Army of the Tennessee, and promptly carried out the 
plans of the dead general. After a heavy day's fighting, the 
first battle of Atlanta ended by the Confederates falling back 
within their lines. During the next few days there was skir- 
mishing in various directions, and on July 27th, General O. O. 
Howard was appointed by the President to succeed McPherson, 
a proceeding which General Hooker resented by resigning the 
command of the Twentieth Corps, which was turned over to 
General H. W. Slocum. There were several other changes of 



HOOKER AGAIN RESIGNS. 339 

command about this period, General D. S. Stanley succeeding 
Howard in command of the Fourth Corps, and General Jeffer- 
son C. Davis succeeding General Palmer in command of the 
Fourteenth Corps. On July 27th General Howard, with the 
Army of the Tennessee, secretly shifted his position from the 
extreme left, on the Decatur road, to Proctor's Creek , on the 
extreme right, and early on the 28th, when Hood discovered 
the movement, he threw Hardee and S. D. Lee with a heavy 
force upon Logan's Corps, on Howard's right. The Confeder- 
ates expected that the men in their unfinished works would be 
taken at a disadvantage, but the assault had been foreseen, 
and, as a consequence, the second battle of Atlanta, after four 
hours' heavy fighting, cost the Confederates about five thousand 
men, and sent the re tnainder broken and dispirited back to their 
intrenchments. During the next two weeks Hood remained in- 
active, and then he sent Wheeler with 8,000 cavalry on a raid. 
Wheeler reached the railway at Calhoun on July 16th, but, in 
the meantime, Sherman, who was preparing for a general ad- 
vance, sent Kilpatrick with a cavalry force to capture and destroy 
the West Point and Macon Railroad. In this work he was inter- 
rupted by part of Wheeler's force, but he cut his way through 
and returned to Decatur on the 22d. The movement was not 
sufiiciently complete, and Sherman decided to raise the siege 
of Atlanta for the present. On the night of the 25th this 
movement was begun and by the 28th Sherman's forces had 
destroyed a dozen miles of the West Point railroad. Hood, 
unaware of this, had divided his army and sent one half, under 
Hardee, to counteract Kilpatrick's raid. On the 31st Howard, 
when attempting the passage of the Flint River, near Jones- 
boro, encountered this force, and after a severe conflict Hardee 
was routed and Jefferson C. Davis, of Howard's army, carried 
by a gallant charge the Confederate works north of Jonesboro. 
Hood, with the balance of his army, remained at Atlanta, 
closely watched by General Slocum, but during the night of 
September 1st the Confederate general, detecting his error in 
weakening his force, blew up his magazines, destroyed the 
foundries and workshops, and precipitately evacuated Atlanta., 
some of his troops going to Macdonough and others to Coving- 



340 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

ton. On the morning of September 2d Mayor Calhoun 
formally surrendered the city to General Slocum. On the 4th 
General Sherman demanded the removal of all citizens and 
arranged a ten days' truce with General Hood to allow of this 
being carried out. By September 8th Sherman's entire force 
was encamped around Atlanta, and the city was occupied in a 
few days by military only. 

We have mentioned that an arrangement for a truce was 
made with Hood, but that worthy denounced the removal of 
civilians, and wrote : "In the name of God and humanity I 
protest, believing that you will find you are exj^elling from 
their homes and firesides the wives and children of a brave 
people." To this General Sherman sent a crushing reply, in 
which, after reminding Hood that Johnston had removed fam- 
ilies all the way down from Dalton, and that he (Hood) had 
Iburned or destroyed some fifty dwelUng houses that impeded 
the operations of his forts, Sherman concluded : 

" In the name of common sense I ask you not to appeal to a just God in 
such a sacrilegious manner— you, who in the midst of peace and prosperity 
have plunged a nation into civil war, ' dark and ciuel war ' ; who dared us to 
battle ; who insulted our flag ; seized our arsenals and forts that were left in 
the honorable custody of a peaceful ordnance sergeant ; seized and made 
prisoners of war the very garrison sent to protect your people against negroes 
and Indians long before any overt act by the (to you) ' hateful Lincoln Gov- 
ernment ' ; tried to force Kentucky and Missouri into rebellion in spite of 
themselves ; falsified the vote of Louisiana ; turned loose your privateers 
to plunder unarmed ships ; expelled Union families by the thousands, 
burned their houses and declared by act of * Congress ' the confiscation of 
all debts due Northern men for goods had and received. Do not talk thus 
to one who has seen these things, and will this day make as much sacrifice 
for the peace and honor of the South as the best-born Southerner among 
you. If we must be enemies, let us be men, and fight it out as we propose 
to-day, and not deal in such hypocritical appeals to God and humanity. 
God will judge me in good time, and he vrill pronounce whether it be more 
humane to fight with a town full of women and the families of ' brave peo- 
ple' at our backs, or remove them in time to places of safety among their 
own friends and people." 

It is evident that General Sherman had learned to write as 
well as fight in his West Point studies. Nor were his words 
unsupported by acts, for no distinction was made between the 
families of friends or foes — all were transported, with their 



OCCUPATION OF ATLANTA. 341 

clothes and furniture, averaging 1,651 pounds to each family, 
whither they wished to go, at the national expense. In fact the 
abashed Hood was constrained to tender, in writing, his ac- 
knowledgments of the courtesy which he (as a Confederate 
general) and his people had i eceived on all occasions in con- 
nection with the removal. In strong contrast to this was the 
conduct of the Confederate President, Jeff Davis, who hurried 
to Macon about this period to make a personal investigation, 
In a speech on September 2od, after commenting on the dis- 
grace of Johnston's retreat from Dalton to Atlanta, he said, "I 
then put a man in command who I knew would strike a manly 
blow for the defense of Atlanta, and many a Yankee's blood 
was made to nourish the soil before the prize was won." Then 
in attempting to smother the disgrace of the shambles at An- 
dersonville, he pretended that the United States was responsi- 
ble for the non-exchange of prisoners, and said, " Butler, the 
beast, with whom no commissioner of exchange would hold in- 
tercourse, had published in his newspapers that if we would con- 
sent to the exchange of negroes, all difficulties might be re- 
moved. This is reported as an effort of his to get himself white- 
washed, by holding intercourse with gentlemen." After this dis- 
play of billingsgate, Davis went off to instruct Hood, at any sac- 
rifice of Confederates soldiers' lives, to lure Sherman out of Geor- 
gia, where his presence was dealing a deadly blow to the spirits of 
the Confederate leaders. In pursuance of this design Hood, who 
had been joined by Hardee, near Jonesboro, crossed the Chatta- 
hoochee and made a sharp raid on Sherman's communications ; at 
the same time Wheeler with his cavalry appeared before Dalton 
and demanded its surrender, but was driven off before he could 
do much damage. Then about October 5th a division of Con- 
federate infantry under General French threatened Allatoona, 
, where one million rations were stored. General Corse was sent 
to the aid of Colonel Tourtellotte, and after some furious fight- 
ing French was repulsed, and then fell back in some disorder on 
the approach of General Cox. By this time General Sherman 
had rested his army, and falling at first into Hood's trap, began 
a vigorous pursuit of that wily Confederate, who was striking 
northward into Tennessee, After following Hood north of the 



343 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

Chattahoochee, crossing the Oostenaula and pressing into the 
Chattanooga Valley, Sherman became convinced that Hood's 
game was that of the shamming lame lapwing in its trick of 
luring intruders from its nest. In other words, he refused to 
be drawn away from his main prize, Atlanta, and diverted 
from his intended " March to the Sea." Consequently Sher- 
man determined to return to Atlanta, and he delegated to 
General Thomas full power over all the troops under his com- 
mand, excepting four corps with which he proposed to make 
the now famous march. He also gave Thomas the two 
divisions of General A. J. Smith, then returning from Missouri, 
all the garrisons in Tennessee, and all the cavalry of the military 
division, except a single division under Kilpatrick, which was 
reserved for operations in Georgia. He believed that Thomas 
would then have strength enough to more than cope Mdth 
Hood, and his calculations were correct. The Confederates 
swept up through Northern Alabama, crossed the Tennessee at 
Florence, and advanced on Nashville. General Schofield, 
in command of this section, fell back to Franklin, 
eighteen miles south of Nashville. Here, on November 
30th, he was attacked by Hood ; a sharp battle was fought, and 
at nightfall, after having kept Hood in check all day, Schofield 
crossed the Harpeth Rivpr and retreated within the defenses of 
Nashville. At this point all of General Thomas' forces were 
rapidly concentrated. A line of intrenchments was drawn 
around the city on the south. Hood came on, confident of 
victory and prepared to begin the siege by blockading the Cum- 
berland ; but before the work was fairly under way. General 
Thomas, on December 15th, moved from his works, fell upon 
the Confederate army and utterly routed it, with a loss of more 
than twenty- five thousand men in killed, wounded and prisoners. 
Despite the intense cold the shattered Confederates were pur- . 
sued in every direction until they were killed, captured or so 
completely dispersed that all traces of Hood's army as an 
organization disappeared, and on the 23d of January, 1865, the 
dispirited General was "relieved at his own request " of his 
command (he had already been relieved of his army), at Tupelo, 
Mississippi. In this campaign General Thomas estimated his 



hood's forces scattered. 343 

losses at about 10,000 men, but he had captured 11,857 officers 
and men (besides 1,332 who had been exchanged), 72 serviceable 
guns and 3,079 small arms. He had also administered the oath 
of amnesty to 2,207 deserters from the Confederate service. 
On the 30th of December he announced the close of the cam- 
paign, but General Grant was not prepared to let anybody rest 
till the rebellion was suppressed, consequently Thomas was 
instructed to send Wood, with the Fourth Corps, to HuntsviUe, 
and to concentrate the troops of Smith, Schofield and Wilson at 
Eastport, to await a renewal of the winter campaign in Missis- 
sippi and Alabama. Having thus summarized the movements 
of General Thomas and the destruction of Hood's forces, we 
will return to General Sherman, whom we left preparing for 
his tramp across the continent. 



CHAPTER XXXII. 

Sherman's "march to the sea "—a glorious war record— the confeder- 
ates' swept BY A FEDERAL broom — SAVANNAH CAPTURED — MOVEMENTS 
IN THE CAROLINAS — CAPTURE OF CHARLESTON— SURRENDER OF THE CON- 
FEDERATE GENERAL JOHNSTON — CAPTURE OF MOBILE — RECORD OP THE 
- CONFEDERATE PRIVATEERS — THE BEGINNING OF THE END. 

On November 14th, 1864, General Sherman had completed his 
arrangements for his " March to the Sea." He had cut the 
telegraph wire between Atlanta and Washington city, probably 
that he might not be hampered or disquieted by instructions 
from Headquarters, for although the President and General 
Grant had been advised of his intentions, their consent to and 
sympathy with his plans was tacit rather than active. Sher- 
man's entire force was about 60,000 infantry and artillery and 
5,500 cavalry. This adventurous army was divided into two 
grand divisions, composed of four army corps. The right 
wing, Ltnder Major-Cjeneral O. O. Howard, consisted of the 
Fifteenth Corps, General P. J. Osterhaus, and the Seventeenth 
Corps, General F. P. Blair. The left wing, under Major- 
General H. W. Slocum, was composed of the Fourteenth 
Corps, General J. C. Davis, and the Twentieth, General A. S. 
Williams. The cavalry, in one division, was commanded by 
General Judson Kilpatrick. 

The movement began on the morning of November 14th, the 
left wing under Slocum inarching by way of Decatur, for 
Madison and Milledgeville, and the right wing, under Howard, 
by way of Macdonough for Gordon, on the railway east of 
Macon. General Sherman remained in Atlanta to superintend 
the total destruction of the place, and by the night of the 
15th some two hundred acres in the centre of the city exhibited 
a roaring mass of flames. The following morning Sherman 
joined Slocum's wing, and the perilous march of two hundred 
and fifty miles was fairly inaugurated by an army cut loose 
from its base of supplies, but with twenty days' supply of bread, 



BHERMAN's " MARCH TO THE SEA." 845 

forty days' of beef, coffee and sugar, and three days' supply of 
forage in the wagons. Each wing had its separate pontoon 
train and the instructions to each sub-commander were to 
"live off the country" as he went along. As Sherman had 
anticipated, the Confederates could offer no serious resistance, 
and Wheeler's Confederate cavalry hovering around were kept 
in check by Kilpatrick. We will not linger on the details of this 
part of the expedition : the army swept on through Macon and 
Milledgeville, reached and crossed the Ogecchee ; captured 
Gibson and Waynesborough, and on the 3d of December General 
Sherman with the Seventeenth Corps reached Millen, where 
thousands of captured Federals had been imprisoned in loath- 
some pens. Unfortunately these had been spirited away, and 
the troops could only wreak their vengeance by destroying the 
place and its railroad approaches. The army then passed 
on through swamps and sands, destroying the various 
obstructions and driving out the Confederates, until on 
the 10th of December they were driven within the defenses 
of Savannah, where General Hardee was in command, and 
General Sherman and his exultant and expectant troops were 
before tlie city and preparing to invest it. The destruction of 
the Charleston railway, at tlie bridge, by General Slocum, and 
of the Gulf railroad nearly to the Little Ogeechee, shut off sup- 
plies to the city. On the 13th, General Hazen was sent to 
capture Fort McAllister on the Ogeechee, below the city. This 
was done by assault in splendid style, and thus Sherman se- 
cured communication by that river with Ossabaw Sound, 
where Admiral Dahlgren and General Foster were expected. 
General Sherman received by this route several 30-pounder 
Parrott guns, and then summoned Hardee to surrender. On 
his refusal, Sherman left for Hilton Head to arrange with Fos- 
ter for intercepting Hardee's probable retreat to Charleston. As 
soon as Ms back was turned, however, Hardee, like a wily old 
rat, slipped out of his hole on the night of the 20th, covering 
his movements by a heavy cannonade, during which he de- 
stroyed a couple of iron-clads, several smaller vessels, and all 
the stores he had time to get at. Sherman was notified and 
hurried back, entering the citj^ in triumph on the 22d, and o". 



346 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

the 26th sending a message to President Lincoln that he made 
him a Christmas present of the city of Savannah, with 150 
heavy guns, 25,000 bales of cotton and plenty of aaimunition. 
During the whole of this adventurous march, the trail of which 
was nearly forty miles wide, and two hundred and fifty-five 
miles in length, General Sherman lost in the six weeks occu- 
pied, only 560 men. He estimated that he had damaged the 
enemy some $100,000,000, including 200 miles of railroad, and of 
this some $20,000,000 was direct Federal profit, while the rest 
was compulsory waste. 

By the 1st of January, 1865, General Sherman had completed 
his preparations for the continued occupation of Savannah, the 
removal of obstructions in the river under the supervision of 
Admiral Dahlgren, and the opening up of communications by 
the free passage of vessels. He was then ready for a march 
northward through the Carolinas. On the 15th of January the 
Seventeenth Corps was sent by v^ater around Hilton Head, to 
Pocotaligo, on the Charleston and Savannah Railroad, where a 
position was taken up threatening Charleston, to which city 
Hardee with his fifteen thousand men had escaped from 
Savannah. Slocum, with the left wing and Kilpatrick's 
cavalry, was to have crossed the Savannah River from the city 
on a pontoon bridge at the same time, but heavy floods pre- 
vented this and the delay caused by hunting for a favorable 
crossing wasted the balance of January. In the meantime 
General Grant had sent Grover's Division of the Nineteenth 
Corps to garrison Savannah and had taken the Twenty-third 
Corps under Schofield from Thomas' command in Tennessee to 
reinforce Terry and Palmer on the coast of North CaroHna, 
and thus pave the way for Sherman's future movements. 

On February 1st Sherman's whole army moved forward 
against Columbia, the capital of South Carolina. The Confed- 
erates were terror-stricken at the audacity of these operations, 
though they hoped that the swamps and morasses would im- 
pede, if not engulf, the Federal army. Governor Magrath 
summoned every white man in the State between the ages of 
16 and 60 to take the field, and desperate attempts were made 
to establish a line of defense along the Salkhatchie, while 



MOVING UPON COLUMBIA. 



347 



Wheeler's cavalry was ever on the alert, liovering around the 
advance columns. But impediments merely seemed to whet 
the appetite of the Federal troops ; they pressed on, forced the 
passages of the river, and by the 11th of February had severed 
the Confederate lines of communication between Charleston 
and Augusta. On the 12th the Seventeenth Corps dashed upon 
Orangeburg, and driving out the Confederates, destroyed rail- 




RUINS OF CHARLESTON. 

road communication with Columbia. On the 14th the fords 
and bridges of the Congaree were carried, and on the 16th the 
right wing was opposite Columbia, while the left wing, under 
Slocum, had swept by Augusta and was rapidly approaching 
the same point. Bridges were rapidly thrown across the Broad 
and Saluda rivers and Columbia's fate was about determined. 
The failure of Bragg and Beauregard to check Sherman's 
advance had compelled the Confederate authorities to reinstate 
General Johnston, one of the bravest and coolest, if most cau- 



348 HIST^>RY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

tious commanders. On the 17th of February Beauregard, 
Governor Magrath and a number of other officials fled from the 
city, and Mayor Goodwyn, with a delegation of the city council, 
came out in carriages and formally surrendered to Colonel Stone, 
of the Twenty-fifth Iowa Infantry, who, in accordance with gen- 
eral instructions, promised protection to private property. 
General Wade Hampton, however, who had command of the 
Confederate rear guard, is alleged to have fired all the cotton, 
public and private, in the city, before quitting. At any rate, 
the cotton was fired, and, despite the exertion of Sherman's 
officers and men, the flames spread rapidly and laid the whole 
city in ruins. The fall of Columbia convinced General Hardee 
that Charleston was no longer tenable, and therefore, while 
Columbia was blazing, ^he torch was vigorously applied in 
Charleston. The great depot of the Northwestern Railroad, in 
which a large quantity of powder was stored, took fire and was 
blown up, and four squares in the best part of the city were 
laid in ashes. After further destroying all the shipping he 
could reach, including two iron-clads, Hardee, with about 
14,000 troops, escaped, and made off to join Beauregard, 
Cheatham and Johnston in North Carolina. The news of the 
evacuation was received by the Federal forces on James and 
Morris islands on the morning of the 18th, and within a few 
hours the Stars and Stripes were again floating over Forts 
Sumter, Eipley and Pinckney. Lieutenant-Colonel Bennett, 
commanding at Morris Island, received the formal surrender 
of the city from Mayor Macbeth, and then hurried up a small 
force to assist in suppressing the flames. The principal arsenal 
was saved, as was a large quantity of rice, which was gener- 
ously distributed among the distracted poor of the place. Colo- 
nel Stewart L. Woodford, of the One Hujidred and Twenty- 
seventh New York, was appointed Military Governor of Charles- 
ton, and by judicious management speedily effected ami^^able 
arrangements with the citizens. 

General Sherman meanwhile had remained at Columbia 
only long enough to complete the destruction of the arsenals, 
machine shops and foundries, and tear up the railroad tracks. 
This was done during the 18th and 19th of February, and then 



MARCHING ON RALEIGH. 349 

he renewed his march northward in the direction of Charlotte, 
North Carolina, having advised General Grant that he might 
be expected at Goldsboro any time between the 22d and 28th of 
March. Kilpatrick's cavalry meantime had raided toward 
Augusta in the endeavor to mislead the Confederates as to 
Sherman's line of advance, and was now making for Winns- 
boro. On the 18th he found that Wheeler had effected a junc- 
tion with Wade Hampton, and that the combined force was 
between him and Charlotte. 

General Sherman pushed on to Winnsboro, and there effected 
a junction with the Twentieth Corps, under Slocum, on the 
21st of February. The Federal army then crossed the Great 
Pedee, at Cheraw, driving Hardee from that post, and com- 
pelling him to retreat on Fayetteville. He was not allowed to 
tarry here, for Sherman pushed on, and by March 11th his 
Avhole force was concentrated at Fayetteville, Hardee again 
retreating. Kilpatrick, meanwhile, had met with a misadven- 
ture which nearly proved serious. Learning that Hampton 
was defending Hardee's rear, Kilpatrick, with Spencer's 
Brigade, made a night march, and cut through Hampton's 
line ; but that night, March 8th, Hampton, by a stealthy move- 
ment, surprised Kilpatrick's quarters, captured Spencer and 
most of the staff, and then began plundering the camp. Kil- 
patrick, who had escaped on foot into the swamp, rallied his 
men and again fell on Hampton's troojjers, recapturing the 
guns and holding the Confederates at bay till General Mitchell, 
with a brigade of infantry, came to his aid. Hampton then 
gave up the fight, and Kilpatrick joined the main army at 
Fayetteville. Here the troops were rested for three days, and 
then the march was resumed towards Raleigh. On the 16th of 
M^rch Hardee was encountered strongly intrenched, with 
twenty thousand men, near Averasboro, between the Cape 
Fear and South rivers. After a hard fight, Slocum drove 
Hardee into his intrenchments, from whence that night he 
escaped to Smithfield, where Johnston was concentrating. 
General Sherman was now confident that he had no further 
obstacles on his route to Goldsboro, but early on the morning 
of the 19th, when approaching Bentonville, a skirmish on the 



350 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

left rapidly developed into a formidable attack, and by noon a 
fierce battle was in progress, for the whole of Johnston's army, 
reinforced by Hardee, Hoke and Cheatham, were mafsed in 
front of Sherman's left wing and were exulting over the pros- 
pect of his complete annihilation. But for the almost super- 
human efforts of General Jefferson C. Davis, this result would 
have been accomplished. The impetuous charges of the Fed- 
erals under such leadership, however, turned the fortunes of 
the day, and when darkness fell the amazed Confederates were 
routed. During the night other detachments came up, the 
right wing moved over to the support of the left, and although 
there was heavy fighting during the 20th, the Confederates 
failed to regain their advantage. On the 21st General Terry, 
with his column from Wilmington, and General Schofield with 
his troops from Newbern, had reached Goldsboro, and General 
Johnston finding that the junction of the three armies was now 
practically accomplished, fled in such haste to Smithfield that 
he left his pickets and wounded to be captured. On the 23d the 
entire Federal force, numbering about 60,000, were encamped 
in and about Goldsboro, and were allowed to rest a while. 
Placing General Schofield in temporary command. General 
Sherman went by rail to Morehead City and thence by water 
to City Point, where he met Generals Grant, Meade and Ord, 
and President Lincoln. An important conference was held 
in regard to future movements, and Sherman learned all 
that had happened "since he had been out of the world." 
Returning to Goldsboro on the 30th, Sherman superintended 
the furnishing of needed clothes and supplies to his troops, 
and then on April 6th he learned of the fall of Petersburg 
and Richmond. This somewhat changed his plans, and 
he decided that it was time to finish up his end of 
the war by demolishing Johnston. On the 10th of April he put 
his forces in motion toward Smithfield, where Johnston had 
been concentrating. But the news had reached the Con- 
federate commander, and he hastily fell back on Raleigh. 
Sherman pushed on to Smithfield only to find the bridges 
destroyed and Johnston still retreating. The startling news 
of Lee's surrender reached him here, and he at once dropped 



SURRENDER OF GENERAL JOHNSTON. 



351 



his liPHvy fiplfl eqin'pmont and in light order pressed after 
Johnston, receiving the formal surrender of Raleigh on the 
13th of April, as he passed on his way to overtake the fugitive 
Confederates at Hillsboro. On April 14th Johnston sent a note 
to Sherman asking him to communicate with General Grant 
and obtain permission to treat for peace. Sherman promptly- 
replied that he was fully authorized to arrange terms and would 
halt his army to receive pioposals. On the I6th a further 




PLACE OF JOHNSTON'S SURRENDER TO SHERMAN. 

communication was received asking for an interview next day, 
half-way between Raleigh and Hillsboro. Nothing definite 
was arranged at this meeting, but on April 18th the two 
generals met, and Sherman consented to a "Memorandum" 
as a basis of consideration by the Government. This docu 
ment was sent to Washington, but its terms were so prepos- 
terously lenient that the administration rejected it, and Gen- 
eral Grant hastened to Raleigli to announce its rejection and if 
necessary to relieve General Sherman of his command. Reaching 
Raleigh on the 24th, Grant instructed Sherman to notify Johnston 
that his proposals were absolutely rejected and that the truce must 



352 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

close in forty-eight hours. To this uieoBagG was supplemented 
a demand for an immediate surrender of Johnston's army on 
terms similar to those which Grant had made with Lee. It 
may be here noted that the " Memorandum," said to have been 
prepared by Breckinridge, was in effect an actual amnesty and 
a virtual expunging of all records of rebellion. General Sher- 
man as well as General Grant had yearnings for peace, in the 
interests of common humanity, but, while Sherman was ready 
to approach the subject as a " man,' Grant would only do so 
as a " soldier" — a subtle distinction requiring no further com- 
ment. That Grant fully appreciated the position is shown by 
the fact that having contented himself with the simple con- 
veyance of the Government's rejection of the " Memorandum," 
he left Sherman full powers to conduct further negotiations, 
and waited unobtrusively at Raleigh for the result. It was not 
long delayed. On April 26th, at the request of Johnston, 
another meeting was held between the two commanders, and 
terms of capitulation identical with those granted to Lee at 
Appomattox Court House were agreed upon. It was stipulated 
that all arms and public property of the Confederates should 
be deposited at Greensboro, and that the capitulation should 
include all the troops in Johnston's military department, com- 
prising the seaboard States south of Virginia. The terms were 
promptly approved by Grant and the troops formally surren- 
dered, except a body of cavalry under Wade Hampton. This 
General declined to be included, not being actually part of 
Johnston's department, and he led his troopers off to Charlotte, 
to join the now fugitive Confederate President Davis. 

Reserving minor episodes for a closing chapter, we can here 
close our record of important military movements in this sec- 
tion, and, after picking up a few " loose ends," move on with 
the Army of the Potomac to the actual close of the war and 
the events incidentally alluded to above. 

Coincident with Sherman's operations in the Carolinas was 
the famous cavalry raid of General George Stoneman. Return- 
ing to Knoxville, from his winter campaign in southwestern 
Virginia, he was ordered on February 7th, 1865, to prepare for 
a raid into South Carolina in aid of Sherman's movements, but 



stoneman's cavalry raid. 353 

this order was modified by the successes of Sherman's opera- 
tions, and finally Stoneman was intrusted with a sort of inde- 
pendent command and turned loose as a sort of Nemesis on 
horseback to wreak destruction on Confederate property. We 
will briefly sketch his dashing operations. Concentrating the 
cavalry brigades of Colonels Palmer, Miller and Brown, about 
six thousand strong, at Mossy Creek, he started out on March 
30th, crossed the mountains, captured Wilkesboro and forced 
the passage of the Yadkin at Jonesville. Turning to the north, 
he traversed the western end of North Carolina and thence 
passed into Carroll County, Virginia. At Wytheville the rail- 
road was torn up and the whole line was destroyed from the 
bridge over New River to within four miles of Lynchburg. 
Then Christiansburg was captured and ninety miles of railroad 
track passed out of existence. Turning first to Jacksonville and 
then southward, Stoneman struck and destroyed the North 
Carolina railroad between Danville and Greensboro. At Salem 
the factories were burned, and after tearing up the track in the 
direction of Salisbury, that town was captured, together with 
large stores of arms, ammunition, cotton, clothing and provi- 
sions. The Confederates were quick enough to get away with 
the Federal prisoners who had been penned up in the town. 
Then on April 19th a division under Major Moderwell reached 
the great bridge of the South Carolina Railroad spanning the 
Catawba River, eleven hundred and fifty feet in length. This 
was totally destroyed by fire. After a fight with the Confed- 
erate cavalry under Ferguson, the victorious troopers turned 
back to Dallas, where all the divisions concentrated, and by 
April 20th t^ie famous raid was ended. During its progress six 
thousand prisoners, forty-six pieces of artillery and a large 
quantity of small arms were captured. The amount of destruc- 
tion effected is beyond computation. 

We have now to notice important events on the Atlantic coast 
and in the Gulf. In the beginning of August, 18C4, Adaiiral 
Farragut, with a powerful squadron, made a descent upon the 
defenses of Mobile, which were Fort Gaines on the left and 
Fort Morgan on the right of the harbor, in Mobile Bay, some 
thirty miles south of the city. Within the bay, additionally 



354 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

guarding the harbor, was the monster iron-clad ram Tennessee 
and three gunboats, commanded by the Confederate Admiral 
Buchanan, who floated his pennant on the Tennessee. Admiral 
Farragut's fleet consisted of fourteen wooden vessels and four 
iron-clads. On August 5th, Farragut was ready for the attack, 
and about six o'clock A. M. the fleet steamed up to Fort Morgan. 
The ironclads were theTecumseh, Manhattan, Winnebago and 
Chickasaiv. Farragut was in the wooden ship Hartford, and 
was lashed to the main top, from which perilous position he 
gave his orders during the engagement. The Tecwnseh opened 
the battle by a shot at Fort Morgan, and soon all the ships were 
engaged. Before long the Tecumseh struck a torj^edo, which, 
exploding directly beneath her turret, made so fearful a rent 
that she sank, with Commodore Craven and nearly all the 
officers and crew, only seventeen of one hundred and thirty 
being saved. The Hartford then pressed on, and missing a blow 
from the Tennessee, engaged the other gunboats. After an 
hour's conflict the Confederate gunboat Selma was captured, and 
the other two forced to seek the shelter of the forts. Then the 
Tennessee came down at full speed to attack the Hartford., but 
the other vessels closed around the monster, and after a terrible 
battle the powerful ram was so batter3d that Admiral Buch- 
anan, himself badly injured, was compelled to surrender, 
The fleet being disposed of, Farragut turned his atten- 
tion to the forts. During the 6th, Fort Gaines was 
so severely shelled that on the morning of the 7th Colo- 
nel Anderson, the commander, surrendered. Fort Mor- 
gan, on Mobile Point, still held out, and its commander 
General Richard L. Page, of Virginia, severelj^ censured 
Anderson for cowardice. It should have been mentioned that 
General Canby had, previous to the commencement of Farragut's 
operations, sent a land force of 5, 000 men from New Orleans 
under General Gordon Granger, and these had been landed on 
Dauphin Island, which divides the entrance to Mobile Bay. 
Having assisted in the silencing and capture of Fort Gaines, 
these were now transferred to the rear of Fort Morgan, and on 
the 9th of August began lines of investment. On the 22d, the 
fleet and batteries commenced a heavy bombardment which 



CAPTURE OF THE MOBILE FORTS. 355 

lasted all day and seriously damaged the fort. The next morn- 
ing Page surrendered, after destroying a large portion of the 
guns and ammunition. The possession of these forts effectu- 
ally sealed the port of Mobile against blockade runners. One 
hundred and four guns and fourteen hundred and sixty-four 
men were captured during these Ofjerations. The capture of 
the city itself by the land forces occurred some months later, 
but it may be well to incorporate the episode here. At the 
beginning of 1865 Mobile was defended by three lines of earth- 
works, completely round the city. The first line, about three 
miles from the business portion of the city, was constructed in 
1862, the second line in 1863, after the fall of Vicksburg, and the 
third line, about half-way between the other two, in 1864. The 
entire fortifications comprised forty-eight forts and redoubts 
with connecting breast-works. On the 7th of March, 1865, a 
portion of the Army of the Tennessee, having used up Hood, 
was sent to join Canby's command and was stationed at Fort 
Gaines, Mobile Bay. Another rendezvous and base of opera- 
tions was selected on the Fish River, about twenty miles 
from Spanish Fort, one of the strongest of Mobile's defenses. 
In the meantime. General Steele, with Hawkins' colored 
troops and Lucas' cavalry, was approaching from Pensacola to 
Blakely, ten miles north of Mobile. All general preparations 
having been completed, Spanish Fort was invested on March 
27th, and the siege oi)erations were vigorously kept up till April 
8th, when, by a vigorous assault, a commanding outpost \/as 
carried, and during the next night General Gibson evacuated 
the fort. The guns were then turned on Forts Huger and 
Tracy, which were also abandoned two days later. In the 
meantime, operations had been pushed against Fort Blakely, on 
the east bank of the Appalachee. This was carried by assault 
on the 9th by Hawkins' colored troops, with shouts of " Eemem- 
ber Fort Pillow," but the dreadful massacre alluded to was not 
avenged in kind. The whole eastern shore of the bay was now 
in Federal possession, and on the night of April 11th General 
D. H. Maury, after sinking the rams Huntsville and Tusca- 
loosa, abandoned Mobile and fled up the Alabama River with 
nine thousand men. On the evening of the 12th the authori- 



356 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

ties formally surrendered the city to General Granger and Rear- 
Admiral Thatcher. General Canby took possession and thus 
crushed the rebellion in Alabama. A large number of pris- 
oners and some two million dollars' wortli of stores and 
ammunition, in addition to several guns, were captured with 
the city. 

The only other important operations to be considered in this 
connection were those against Fort Fisher, commanding the 
entrance to Cape Fear River, and "Wilmington, North Carolina, 
the last seaport held by the Confederates. In December, 1864, 
Admu'al Porter, with a powerful squadron, attempted the re- 
duction of this formidable fortress. General Butler, with a 
land force of 6,500 men, accompanied the expedition. On the 
24th of December the bombardment began, and the troops were 
sent ashore with orders to take the works by storm. General 
Butler remained with the fleet keeping up communication with 
General Weitzel, who led the storming column, by signals. 
When Weitzel had carefully reconnoitered the position, he was 
satisfied that it would be merely murder to throw his men on 
such works, for if the fleet continued firing they would destroy 
friend and foe, while if the naval attack ceased, the guns of the 
fort could annihilate the land forces. General Butler con- 
curred and ordered the troops to re-embark, and they went 
back in the transports with Butler to Fortress Monroe. The 
fleet, however, remained off Fort Fisher. 

On December 30th General Grant wrote Admiral Porter, re- 
questing him to remain while he organized a more powerful 
land force. General Alfred H. Terry was intrusted with the 
command of the new expedition, and leaving Hampton Roads 
on January 6th, 1865, began debarking, after detention by rough 
weather, on the 18th. General Terry's dispositions were ad- 
mirably made, and on the morning of the 15th he was ready 
for the assault. All through the previous night the fleet had 
been battering the w^orks, and then at 8 o'clock on the morning 
of the 15th the land batteries began raining iron hail into the 
works. By preconcerted arrangement the fleet ceased firing at 
three in the afternoon, and then began a fearful struggle. One 
by one the traverses were carried by the dauntless Federals, 



CAPTURE OF FORT FISHER. 357 

stubbornly defended as they were by the equally courageous 
Confederates. By nine o'clock at night the last defensive point 
was stormed, and the work w.as done. The whole of the garri- 
son left alive became prisoners, including Colonel Lamb, com- 
mander of the fort, and General Whiting, the latter being 
mortally wounded. Within the next two days Fort Caswell, 
on the right bank of Cape Fear River, was blown up, the works 
at Smithville, Eeeves' Point and Battery Holmes were aban- 
doned, and the whole position was in the hands of the Federal 
forces. 

We must now hastily glance at the doings of the Confederate 
privateers during the war, and close this chapter with the 
memorable naval battle between the Kearsarge and the Ala- 
bama. 

We have heretofore incidentally mentioned the privateering 
commissions issued by the Confederate authorities, and will 
now summarize the careers of the principal vessels so commis- 
sioned. The first of these was the SavannaJi, Captain T. H. 
Baker, of Charleston, South Carolina, from which port she 
escaped June 1st, 1861 ; three days later her captain, mistaking 
the U. S. brig Perry for a merchant vessel, attempted its cap- 
ture. Finding his mistake he put his ship about, but after a 
running fight was compelled to surrender, and with his crew 
suffered imprisonment and trial ou charges of piracy. The 
next was the Petrel, Captain WilUam Perry ; this privateer 
evaded the blockading squadron off Charleston Harbor on July 
28th, and making a similar mistake with regard to the U. S. 
frigate St. Laivrence, Pirate Perry fell into a terrible trap. His 
vessel was sunk by an explosive shell and four of her crew 
were drowned. The remainder were rescued and sent to 
Moyamensing prison, Philadelphia, also on charges of piracy. 
The Confederate President threatened reprisals if these men 
were treated as pirates, and the subject became one of discus- 
sion even in the British Parliament. After much argument, 
the Government, from motives of humanity as well as of ex- 
pediency, to avoid complications at the outset of the war, con- 
sented to treat both sets of captives as prisoners of war, and 
they were subsequently exchanged. In October, 1861, the 



B58 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

Nashville ran the blockade from Charleston and returned with 
a cargo worth three millions of dollars. Her career as a 
blockade runner was closed in March, 1863, when she was sunk 
by a Federal iron-clad at the mouth of the Savannah River. 
Among privateers the next in importance was the Sumter, 
which in June, 1861, under command of Captain Raphael 
Semmes, ran the blockade at New Orleans, and for several 
months played fearful havoc with merchant vessels. In Feb- 
ruary, 1862, Semmes was chased into Gibraltar, where he sold 
his vessel. He subsequently commanded the Alabama. As the 
Southern blockade became more effective the Confederates 
were driven to British ship yards for their cruisers. The 
Florida was fitted out in the harbor of Liverpool, and, in the 
summer of 1862 succeeded in running into Mobile Bay. From 
thence she escaped the following January, and after destroying 
fifteen merchantmen, was captured in the harbor of Bahia, 
Brazil. She was brought to Hampton Roads, and there, by an 
accidental collision, sunk. The Georgia, the Shenandoah, and 
the Chickamauga, built in the ship yards at Glasgow, Scotland, 
all escaped to sea and ravaged the American mercantile 
marine. The Chickamauga was blown up by the Confederates 
at the capture of Fort Fisher, and the Georgia was captured in 
1863. The Shenandoah had the longest record. She left Lon- 
don early in October, 1864, as an East Indiaman, named the 
Sea King, and cleared for Bombay. At Madeira, however, the 
steamer Laurel, from Liverpool, transferred to her an arma- 
ment and crew of eighty men, nominally Englishmen. She 
was then rechristened the Shenandoah, and Captain James I. 
Wad dell displayed his privateering commission, signed by the 
Confederate Secretary of the Navy, Mallory. When the char- 
acter and purposes of the vessel were disclosed only twenty- 
three of the crew consented to remain. The Shenandoah then 
cruised in the Southern Ocean, preying on American merchant- 
men. She visited Melbourne, Australia, where her officers were 
liberally feasted. During June, 1865, she was up among the 
New England whaling fleet, on the borders of the Arctic 
Ocean, and on the 28th of that month, taking advantage of 
a gathering of the whaling fleet by reason of one of the 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE PRIVATEERS. 359 

vessels being in distress, Waddell, under the American flag, 
approached, and then displaying the Confederate ensign, made 
prizes of ten of the vessels, bnrning eight of them before mid- 
night. On the 2d of August Waddell learned that the war was 
over, and, hastening to England, surrendered the Shenandorh 
as a prize to the Donegal, a British vessel. The crew claimed 
to be American citizens, and the British authorities, conniving 
at the fraud, released them. The most notorious of all the 
Confederate privateers was the Alabama, built at Liverpool, 
especially for the purposes of Captain Raphael Semmes, for- 
merly of the Sumter. There was little disguise about the 
preparation of this ship, and the American Minister, Mr. Adams, 
called the attention of the British Government to the matter, 
but in vain, and the vessel was allowed to depart. In a Portu- 
guese harbor of the Western Isles, she received her armament, 
and then Semmes and her other officers arrived in a British 
steamer. During the last three months of 1862 Semmes de- 
stroyed by fire twenty-eight vessels, and in the course of the 
entire career of the Alabama it is estimated that not less than 
sixty-six vessels, involving a loss of ten million dollars, suffered 
at the hands of this piratical crew. The vessel never entered a 
Confederate port and confined her operations to European and 
more distant waters. Early in the summer of 1864, after a cruise 
in the South Atlantic and Indian seas, the Alabama ran into 
the harbor of Cherbourg, France. Captain John A. Winslow, 
of the United States steamer Kearsarge, was then lying off the 
port of Flushing, Holland, On being apprised of the Alabama's 
movements, Captain Winslow at once proceeded to look after her. 
June 14th, 1864, he arrived off Cherbourg, when Semmes, with 
inimitable impudence, sent a note to Winslow, begging him to 
remain and try conclusions with the Alabama. This fitted in 
exactly with Winslow's wishes, and he waited the convenience 
of his would-be antagonist. It seems probable that Semmes 
had some misgivings, for before coming out of the harbor he 
sent ashore a quantity of valuables, the product of his recent 
cruise. On Sunday, June 19th, the Alabama steamed out, 
escorted beyond French waters by the French iron-clad Cou- 
ronne. Captain Winslow, to avoid any possible complications, 



360 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

had moved out to a point about seven miles from the break- 
water. When the Alabama came within twelve hundred yards 
of the Kearsarge she opened fire, and delivered several broad- 
sides before Winslow retaliated. During the succeding conflict 
the Alabama was kept moving and firing rapidly, each vessel 
circling so as to keep the starboard s'de nearest the enemy. 
Semmes baffled every attempt of the Kearsarge to close in on 
liiin, but on the other hand, while the firing of his ship was 
rapid and reckless, that of the Kearsarge was slow, methodical 
and effectual. By about noon, the Alabama was disabled 
as a steam vessel, and was also badly shattered by shells. 
Then "Winslow poured in grapeshot. At length her flag 
went down, but until a white one was shown the fire 
was continued. After the Kearsarge ceased, in deference 
to the white flag, the Alabama fired two more shots and 
attempted to reach neutral waters. The Kearsarge resumed 
her fire and ran across the bow of the ^Za6ama, intending to 
rake her, but just then the boats of the Alabam,a were lowered 
and Winslow was informed that the privateer was sinking. 
In about twenty minutes the Alabama went down and the 
Kearsarge saved sixty -five of her crew. Meanwhile the Deer- 
hound, an English yacht, having on board the owner, Mr. 
La.ncaster and his family, which had followed Semmes out of 
Cherbourg, came rapidly up, rescued Semmes, his ofiicers and 
some of the men, and ran rapidly with them to English waters. 

In England Semmes and his ofiicers were treated as heroes 
and the claims of Winslow that they were his prisoners were 
stoutly resisted. It is not necessary to go further into details, as 
that would involve considerations which became matters of 
legal decision long afterwards. 

We shall now turn to the Army of the Potomac, and with the 
operations of Grant and Lee approach the end of our war his- 
tory. 



CHAPTER XXXIII. 

REORGANIZATION OP THE ARMY OF THE POTOMAC— BATTLE OF THE WILDERNESS- 
BATTLE OF SPOTTSYLVANIA COURT HOUSE— BATTLE OF COOL ARBOR— OPERA- 
TIONS BEFORE PETERSBURG— MOVEMENTS IN THE VALLEY OF THE SHENANDOAH 
—BATTLE OF CEDAR CREEK— SHERIDAN'S FAMOUS RIDE FROM WINCHESTER— 
THE ARMY IN WINTER QUARTERS. 

On March 23d, 1864, Lieutenant-General Grant returned from 
his Western visit and joined General Meade at the latter's head- 
quarters, Culpeper Court House, where preparations were at 
once begun for a vigorous campaign with the Army of the Po- 
tomac. The five army corps were consolidated and then recon- 
structed into three grand divisions, the Second Corps being un- 
der the command of General Winfield Scott Hancock, the Fifth 
under Genera] G. K. Warren, and the Sixth under General 
John Sedgwick. The cavalry of the entire army was consoli- 
dated and placed under the command of General PhiHp H. 
Sheridan. In the meantime General Burnside had been at An- 
napolis, Md., recruiting his old Ninth Corps, and by the end of 
April his corps, partly composed of colored troops, was merged 
into the Army of the Potomac, the aggregate of which then 
amounted to nearly one hundred and forty thousand men. 

At this time the Confederate army under Lee occupied a line 
extending nearly twenty miles on each side of Orange Court 
House, Va., its right wing protected by the Mine Run works, 
which had been much strengthened during the early part of the 
year, and its left wing covered by the Rapidan and the moun- 
tain range. The corps of Ewell and Hill were near the Rapidan 
and that of Longstreet was near Gordonsville. 

By May 1st Lieutenant-General Grant had perfected his 
arrangements for a general advance and had outlined his whole 
plan of operations. All orders were given through General 
Meade, who was intrusted with minor details, and was thus 
virtually in command of the Army of the Potomac. Grant's 
plans included an overland march of the main army from the 



362 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

Eapidan to the James, while the Confederate communications 
with Richmond were to be threatened at various i)oints Thus 
General Butler, with about thirty thousand men, was to move 
from Fortress Monroe and take up an intrenched position at 
City Point, the junction of the Appomattox with the James. 
At the same time General Franz Sigel was instructed to form 
his army into two columns, one of which, about seven thousand 
strong, he was personally to lead up the Shenandoah Valley 
so as to divert Lee from concentration, while the other column, 
under General Crook, comj)osed of about ten thousand men, 
was to march up from the Kanawha region and threaten the 
Virgmia & East Tennessee Railroad. 

At midnight on May 3d, the forward movement of the main 
army was begun, the right column, consisting of the Fifth and 
Sixth Corps, under Warren and Sedgwick, moving from Culpeper 
Court House, and the left column, consisting of the Second 
Corps, under Hancock, from Stevensburg. This latter, pre- 
ceded by Gregg's Cavalry, crossed the Rapidan and pushed 
on to Chancellorsville, where it bivouacked on the night of the 
4th. The right column, with Warren leading, also crossed the 
Rapidan and pushed directly for the Wilderness. It had been 
Grant's intention by a rapid advance to secure a position in rear 
of the Confederate army, but Lee penetrated the design and 
sent his army under two columns, led by Ewell and Hill, to 
meet the Federal advance and force a battle in the Wilderness. 
The intrenchments at Mine Run were left some six miles in the 
rear of the Army of Virginia as a safe retreat in case of neces- 
sity. There were two roads running through the Wilderness, 
one a plank road and the other an old turnpike; these ran 
almost parallel from Lee's centre and intersected the roads from 
Germania Ferry at which the Federals had crossed. 

On the morning of May 5th, Warren's advance encountered 
the advance skirmishers of Ewell's division and some sharp 
fighting began at once. At first it was presumed to be merely 
a rear guard that had been felt, and preparations were made to 
turn this aside and press on for the Mine Run intrenchments. 
It was soon apparent, however, that the enemy were in con- 
siderable force, and General Wads worth's Division, supported 



DEATH OF GENERAL WadSWORTH. 



363 



on fhXnotf Th '"' '^ ?'"^^^' McCandless, was advanced 
on cne turnpike. The irregular and wooded ground nrevp^f^^ 

federates ^ o nt V .'if ™°*^ee was slightly with the Con- 

mtTlZZorrT°'^-T>^^"''' ''"" '°«t nearly three thousand 
men, and MoCandless' Brigade escaped, by the skin of its teeth 
froma penlous corner, with the loss of two fuS reg menta' 
General Alexander Hayes was also shot dead at the 1 eadTht 

c^thef bu? f T '•™'^^-^'^'^ -"""^ arn^'sreaoh o 
at no^^nt',^ ?fr'^ "'^"^ "^"""'^ impenetrable thickets and 
«Mes Tow ^''''''"*^'^ <=''°^«i°"« °f «ach other's position. Both 

where onlvTc'r^H T'^ *° ''"''' '""^ ^-b''' - - ««« 
anytbinr To .o """r "'" ^"'^^ "°"''' P"^^''''^ accomplish 
Grants ieftrT'" ^^^f ''*'' '"ovement, intended to flank 
R.,v,/ f '.. '"^'''''''''^ '^ demonstration on Seymour's 

simultaneously made a vigorous attack on Hill's Division 

.^aVu:rt:rs.no*:Strre:^. Tt '^'' '''■"°^' "^ ^ "^ 
comprehended, b^tr :out;^e^rndr:Td:r "fas ^Tf 

About thi ::::; oL^^::j:-:ci:::t^ 
rs"r ^:;et;;:!^:;e:t"LrTh"T'^ t ^^^ 

bv a rnTifprio,.o* ui . ^- ^^^^ disaster was offset 

Lt:^i^r::^-To?fherd\S"r"i ^^t '" "^° 

ments enabled Hancock to Jelre for thelm " r""' "°''- 
By four o'clock, however mil «nd t ! ™P^°'''°« ««ack. 

St^^^o'rjLrei-TS^^^^ 



364 



HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 



and about sunset threw a heavy column under General Gordon 
on the Federal right, capturing Generals Seymour and Shaler 
and about four thousand men. A further advance was checked 
by General Sedgwick, and thus the day's fighting ended. 

That night Lee retired behind intrenchments, and Grant, 
anxious for a more legitimate battlefield than the tangled 
Wilderness afforded, determined to push through to Spottsyl- 
vania Coiu't House, some thirteen miles to the southeast. Tliis 

movement was be- 
gun by Warren on 
the evening of May 
7th, but Lee was 
quickly apprised 
of it, and sending 
forward General 
Anderson with the 
head of Long- 
street's Corps, the 
Confederates were 
enabled to seize 
Spottsylvania 
Ridge and impede 
the Federal ad- 
vance. By Sun- 
day night the 
whole of Lee's 
army was across 
the intended southern line of march of the Federal troops. On 
the 9th the Federal line of battle was formed, Hancock on the 
right, Sedgwick on the left and Warren in the centre. Han- 
cock had driven the Confederates across the Ny, a little river in 
front of the Federal line. During the day, to cover the intrenching 
operations, there w^ere several skirmishes, and in one of these 
General Sedgwick was shot dead by a Confederate sharpshooter. 
Brigadier-General W. H. Morris was also severely wounded. 

In the meantime General Sheridan had been sent with a 
heavy cavalry force to break up Lee's connections with Rich- 
mond. Sweeping over the Ta and the Po, he next crossed the 




GEN, PHILIP H. SHERIDAN. 



Sheridan's cavalry raid. 365 

North Anna, captured and destroyed the Beaver Dam Station 
of the Virginia Central Railroad, destroyed ten miles of the 
track and released some four hundred Federals taken prisoners 
in the Wilderness. After a skirmish with General J. E. B. 
Stuart's cavalry, he crossed the South Anna, and on May 11th 
captured Ashland Station on the Fredericksburg road, destroy- 
ing it, with its stores and seven miles of track. Pushing on for 
Eichmond, he again encountered Stuart's cavalry, but repulsed 
them and drove them toward the north fork of the Chicka- 
hominy, Generals Stuart and Gordon being mortally wounded 
in the fight. The road was now open to Richmond, and a gal- 
lant dash by Custer's Brigade carried the outer works of the 
city ; but this was all that could be accomplished, and after 
some sharp engagements with forces sent out from Richmond, 
Sheridan made his way to the James River ; rested three days 
at Haxhall's Landing, and by May 25th rejoined the Ai-my of 
the Potomac by way of Hanover Court House. 

Meanwhile the battle of Spottsylvania Court House had been 
fought, On the morning of May 10th two desperate assaults 
were made on the Confederate position on Laurel Hill, across 
the Ny, by the divisions of Crawford and Cutler, but they were 
repulsed with heavy loss. Toward night the assaults were 
repeated, the Second and Fifth Corps being combined for the 
attack. The slaughter was fearful. The first Confederate 
line was taken, together with nine hundred prisoners and 
several guns, but the movement not being supported, the 
Federal troops fell back. During the day Generals J. C. Rice 
and T. G. Stevenson were killed. The close of the first day's 
battle marked no important result, but some nine thousand 
Federals and eight thousand Confederates were killed, wounded 
or prisoners. Nothing daunted, however, Lieutenant General 
Grant in his dispatches of the 11th, took a hopeful view of 
affairs, and closed with the now historic sentence, *'! propose 
to fight it out on this line, if it takes all summer." 

But little was done next day, but at midnight General Han- 
cock, under instructions to strike Lee's line at the right centre, 
began his preparations for an advance by daylight on the 12th. 
He formed his attack in two lines, one composed of the divisions 



366 HISTORY OF THE CIYHj WAR. 

of Gibbon and Mott, and the other those of Barlow and Bir- 
ney. Moving stealthily through a dense fog, the latter column 
fell upon the earthworks held by General Edward Johnson, of 
Ewell's Division. The Confederates were at breakfast when the 
Federal troops, at the point of the bayonet, and with clubbed 
muskets, dashed in among them. Generals Johnson and George 
H. Stewart, and about three thousand men, were surprised and 
taken prisoners. These Hancock sent back to Grant. Han- 
cock had also captured some forty guns. His troops mean- 
while were so flushed with success that they pursued the fugi- 
tives for more than a mile, when they were checked by another 
line of breastworks. By this time also some of Hill's and 
Longstreet's men had been sent to rally the fugitives, and Han- 
cock was forced back to the first line. General Wright was 
sent to reinforce Hancock, and at the same time Warren and 
Burnside charged heavily on the whole Confederate front. Lee 
made desperate efforts to dislodge Hancock, the men fighting 
hand to hand on either side of the breastworks, but by mid- 
night Lee's troops were compelled to retreat, leaving Hancock 
master of the position. 

On the 13th the Confederates had considerably shorLened 
their lines, but were well intrenched, and for eight days the 
two armies faced each other watching for an opening. On the 
morning of the 18th an attempt to force the Confederate posi- 
tion was repulsed, and then Grant resolved upon a flanking 
movement. Abandoning his position north of the Rapidan, he 
established another base at Fredericksburg. He still kept his 
face toward Richmond and on the night of the 21st another 
flanking movement was begun toward Mattaponax Church. 
Lee was, however, on the alert, and by a shorter route reached 
the North Anna River and took up a strong position in close com- 
munication with the Virginia Central Railroad. After several 
desultory engagements and much marching and counter 
marching, the important engagement of Cool Ai-bor was 
fought on June 3d. In this battle, despite desperate bravery, 
the Federals were utterly unable to force the Confederate posi- 
tion and suffered a loss of some ten thousand men, while the 
Confederate loss did not exceed one thousand. 



MOVEMENTS OF GENERAL BUTLER. 367 

Grant now determined to throw his army on the south side 
of the James River, and for tliis purpose extended his lines to 
the Chickahominy, making a feint as if intending to cross it 
and march directly on Richmond. This ruse succeeded, and 
Lee rapidly retired into theintrenchments of that city. On the 
night of the 14th, however, the Federals had thrown a pontoon 
bridge across the James below Wilcox's, and by noon of the 16th 
the entire army had crossed and was moving on Petersburg. 
j "While these movements were in progress General Butler had 
I begun a series of operations by which the Army of the James 
'was to co-operate with the Army of the Potomac by a move- 
ment against Richmond on the south side of the James River. 
He moved early in May, and by the 5th he had passed up the 
James River on transports, accompanied by a powerful flotilla, 
taking possession of City Point, and had also landed a heavy 
force at Bermuda Hundred, a triangular strip of land at the 
mouth of the Appomattox, between it and the James. Strong 
intrenchments were created, and the gunboats on the two 
streams protected a position only eight miles from Petersburg 
and fifteen from Richmond. The movement was a complete 
surprise. When Grant determined to place Meade's army 
beyond the James, he sent the command of General Smith 
back by water to reinforce Butler at Bermuda Hundred, and 
as soon as Meade's army had effected its passage, Grant went 
in person to Butler's headquarters to arrange for a plan of co- 
operation from that base against Petersburg. Butler was 
heartily in sympathy with these plans, and on the 10th of June 
I he sent General Gillmore with three thousand five hundred 
■infantry, and fifteen hundred cavalry under General Kautz, 
j against Petersburg. Gillmore drove m the Confederate skir- 
I mish line, but hesitated to pursue his advantage ; Kautz mean- 
. w-hile had dashed into the city, but the falling back of Gillmore 
enabled the Confederates to turn their attention to him and 
drive him from the town. On the 15th another attack w-as 
made, this time with the fresh troops of General Smith. The 
outworks were captured, but Smith, unaware of the smallness 
of the force within the city, spent some hours in preparing for 
an assault. 



368 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

Late in the evening an advance was made in force and the 
rifle-pits were carried. Bj this time two of Hancock's divisions 
had arrived, and then the troops rested. This was fatal to the 
movement, for in the course of the night the greater part of 
Lee's army poured into the city, and by next morning the 
chance of its capture was gone. Then followed a long siege of 
ten months, upon which we will not waste space here, but 
merely mention some of the salient points. Convinced now 
that he had a formidable foe to deal with. Grant in- 
structed Meade to post the main body of the army before the 
Confederate works at once and open fire on them. During the 
17th and 18th of June several assaults were made, but without 
any material success, for the Confederates, having fallen back 
on new and stronger works, repulsed the Federals and inflicted 
considerable loss. Preparations were now made for a regular 
siege, and Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Pleasants, of the Forty- 
eigth Pennsylvania, undertook the construction of a mine to 
blow up one of the principal forts. This was begun on June 25th, 
and was about ready for use in one month. Most of his men 
being from the mining regions, their experience made up some- 
what for the lack of proper tools. 

In the meantime. General Butler, on June 20th, had thrown 
General Foster's Brigade across the James River, at Deep Bot- 
tom, and formed an intrenched camp, connected by a iDontoon 
bridge with Bermuda Hundred, this being intended to aid the 
assault at the time of the springing of the mine. About five 
• o'clock on the morning of July 30th the mine was sprung, 
blowing up the fort, guns and garrison of three hundred men, 
and leaving a crater two hundred feet by fifty feet, and about 
thirty feet deep. The assault which followed was a terrible 
failure, the Federals being repulsed with a loss of forty-four 
hundred men, while the entire Confederate loss did not exceed 
one thousand. The disappointment was very great, but Grant 
was not to be disheartened. About the 12th of August he 
ordered an attempt on the flank of the Confederate works at 
Baylis' Creek, but little advantage was gained, as Lee was 
rapidly reinforcing the position. On the 18th of August 
General Warren succeeded in capturing and holding the 



CAPTURE OF BATTERY HARRISON. 369 

Weldon road. Lee made desperate efforts to recover this 
important line of comm.unipatioii, but every assault was 
repulsed, though at a fearful cost of life. 

On September 28th Generals Ord and Birney captured Bat- 
tery Harrison, one of ihe strongest positions around Richmond. 
In an attempt to retake this position the Confederates suffered 
heavily. The Federal loss at the time of the capture had been 
heavy, for General Burnham was killed, Generals Ord and 
Stannard severely wounded, the latter losing an arm, and some 
seven hundred men were killed or severely wounded. The 
next really important movement, and the last for the season in 
this direction, was the contest for the possession of the Boynton 
plank-road, a few miles west of the Weldon road, and nearly 
the only line of communication open to Lee. To guard this, Lee 
had extended his intrenchments along to Hatcher's Run, and 
these works also protected the South Side Railway. At day- 
break on October 27th the Ninth Corps, under Parke, Warren's 
Fifth Corps and Hancock's Second, made a combined attack on 
these woikSo In this movement, however, Crawford's division 
got entangled in a swamp. This left Hancock unsupported, 
and Hill's leading division under Heth charged down upon him, 
while Wade Hampton's cavalry were harassing his flank and 
rear. These, however, were kept off by Gregg, and General 
Eagan fell so heavily upon Heth's force that it was utterly de- 
morahzed. The fight lasted all day without anj material ad- 
vantage, and at midnight Hancock withdrew to the lines before 
Petersburg and Warren returned to his position on the Weldon 
road. Tins practically closed the campaign of the main army, 
and preparations were made for going into winter quarters. 
Grant's army built some comfortable cabins, and all active 
operations ceased until the following February. 

We must now trace the other movements which had mean- 
while taken place in the Shenandoah Valley, where Lieuten- 
ant-General Grant had placed General Sigel. On May 1st 
Sigel, having turned over his immediate command in the 
Kanawha Valley to General Crook, moved up the Shenan- 
doah Valley with eight thousand men, intending to cross 
the Blue Ridge and m.arch to Lynchburg or Gordonsville, 



370 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

To check this movement Lee sent General Breckinridge, 
with all the force he could spare. On May 15th Breckinridge 
encountered Sigel near Newmarket, about fifty miles from 
Winchester, and, falling furiously upon him, drove the Federal 
troops down the Valley to Cedar Creek, near Strasburg, 
a distance of nearly thirty miles. In this disastrous rout 
Sigel lost some seven hundred men, six guns, a quantity of 
small arms and much of his field equipment. In great disgust 
Grant immediately relieved Sigel of his command, and turned 
it over to General David Hunter, with instructions to push on 
to Lynchburg after destroying the railroad between Staunton 
and Charlottesville. Having been reinforced. Hunter, with nine 
thousand men, advanced on Staunton, but encountered at 
Piedmont, on June 5th, a large Confederate force under Gen- 
erals W. E. Jones and McCausland. After a sharp engagement, 
in which General Jones was killed, the Confederates were utterly 
routed, some fifteen hundred men being captured, together with 
several gun?, battle-flags and small arms. In the meantime Gen- 
eral Averell had moved along the Kanawha Valley, without any 
other result than losing several men in one or two sharp 
encounters with the guerrilla Morgan. On the 8th of June the 
forces of Crook and Averell joined Hunter at Staunton, and 
thus reinforced. Hunter, with twenty thousand men, attacked 
Lynchburg, on the southern side, on June 18th. But Lee, pen- 
etrating the intent of Hunter's movements, and sensible of the 
importance of the position, had sent so strong a force to hold it 
that Hunter quickly abandoned his attack and retreated by 
way of Salem, up to which point he was closely followed by the 
Confederates. From thence Hunter made his way across the 
mountains to Meadow Bridge, in the direction of the Kanawha, 
where he expected to find some much-needed rations. But a 
guerrilla force had captured these stores, and for some days the 
disheartened troops were in great straits. 

This retrograde movement, however, left the Shenandoah 
Valley open, and Lee was prompt to take advantage of it. 
Hoping by a bold diversion to compel Grant to raise the siege 
of Petersburg, in order to defend the Capital, Lee despatched 
General Early, with about twenty thousand troops of all arms, 



ANOTHER DASH ON PENNSYLVANIA. 371 

with orders to cross the Blue Ridge, sweep down the valley, 
invade Maryland and threatep. Washington City. On July 5th 
Early crossed the Potomac at Williamsport; on the 6th he was 
at Hagerstown, where he made a forced levy of $20,000, and 
then pushed ou, plundering right and left. On July 9th, how- 
ever, Genet al Lewis Wallace met him at the Monocacy and a 
fierce battle ensued. The overwhelming Confederate force was 
such that Wallace at once perceived nothing could be done but 
keep the enemy at bay, at all hazards. This was gallantly 
done, for, although the Federals were ultimately driven back 
with heavy loss, the check to their opponents had enabled re- 
inforcements to reach the capital. Even as it was, there are 
doubts whether Early, had he risked the adventure, might 
not have inflicted serious damage on the city. Moving 
cautiously, however. Early approached Washington in the 
vicinity of Fort Stevens, but after a sharp fight with a 
reconnoitering party sent out by General Augur, he retreated 
across the Potomac at Edwards' Ferry on July 12th, and 
regained the Shenandoah Valley with a vast amount of plunder. 
General Horatio G. \V'right, of the Sixth Corps, followed them 
up, and several sharp engagements were had with varying suc- 
cess. The command of the Federal troops was then turned 
over to General Crook, General Wright returning to attend to 
his special duties — the defenses of Washington. Crook moved 
to Harper's Ferry and thence was moving on Winchester, 
when he unexpectedly encountered the Confederates at Kerns- 
town on July 23d. The next day, after a sharp engagement, 
the whole of Crook's force was driven back on Martinsburg. In 
this engagement General Mulligan was killed and the Federals 
lost fully twelve hundred men. After another fight on the 
25th, Crook contrived to get across the Potomac, but he left 
Early master of the southern side of the river. The Confed- 
erates at once spread on raiding expeditions, and a body of cav- 
alry, under McCausland, dashed into Pennsylvania and cap- 
tured Chambersburg. Failing to extort a forced levy of two 
hundred thousand dollars, the village was fired and private 
property of every kind simply stolen. General Averell's cav- 
alry was quickly upon them, but the Confederates had wrought 



372 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

their mischief and were hastening back to Virginia. He came 
up to them, however, at Moorfield on August 4th, and inflicted 
a heavy blow. 

These continued raids, however, and the necessity for the 
occupation of the Shenandoah Valley in suflScient force to pro- 
tect Washington, as well as Pennsylvania and Maryland from 
these constant distractions and risks, at length determined 
Lieutenant- General Grant to consolidate the Washington, 
Middle, Susquehanna and Southwest Virginia departments into 
one organization. This was called the Middle Military Division 
and comprised about tliirty thousand troops. The command of, 
this important force was intrusted to the gallant and dashing 
General Philip H. Sheridan, for General Hunter had expressed 
a desire to be relieved. Sheridan's cavalry force numbered 
about ten thousand and was in splendid condition. With his 
subsequent operations, including his memorable " Ride from 
Winchester" and his promotion to the rank of major-general, 
we shall bring up our narrative to the close of 1864. 

On August 7th, General Sheridan took up his headquarters 
at Harper's Ferry and assumed command. His first attention 
was directed to the thorough preparation of his forces for an 
actively aggressive campaign, in which he determined to 
punish the Confederates for their ravages elsewhere. For more 
than a month he was occupied with his plans and arrange- 
ments, and so well had he mastered all details that at an inter- 
view on September 16th Lieutenant-General Grant gave him 
almost unlimited power, with the simple instructions, " Go in." 
He went in — he went in to win — and he won, acquiring a repu- 
tation hardly second to any that was achieved throughout the 
war. 

By various feints and devices. Early attempted to draw 
Sheridan from his chosen position, which by the middle of Sep- 
tember was in front of Berryville, on the turnpike from that 
town across the Opequan Creek to Winchester, but Sheridan, 
though a young man (he was but 33 years of age at this time), 
was "too old a soldier " to be lured into any trap. Early was 
in front of him, covering Winchester, and on the 18th had sent 
away a large force toward Martinsburg. This was Sheridan's 



MOVEMENTS OF GENERAL SHERIDAN. 373 

chance, and he promptly availed himself of it. By three 
o'clock on the morning of the 19th of September, Sheridan's 
forces moved forward upon Winchester, Wilson's Cavalry lead- 
ing, and being followed by General Wright with the Sixth and 
General Emory witli the Nineteenth Corps. Averell and 
Torbert were sent to menace the Confederate left, while 
Crook's Eighth Corps, then at Summit Point, was ordered 
to join the advance at Opequan ford. The cavalry and 
Wright's troops crossed the Opequan at daybreak ; but 
Emory's troops were somewhat delayed and in the mean- 
time Early had succeeded in recalling his troops from 
Bunker's Hill, and now was massed to the northwest of the 
town. The only approach to his position was through a narrow 
pass between thickly wooded hills. The attack was gallantly 
made by Ricketts' division of the Sixth Corps, closely followed 
by Grover's of the Nineteenth, but although the first line of 
Early's centre was stormed, the Federals were checked and then 
thrown back in confusion by heavy columns hurled upon them. 
A rally was made, however, and then the pursuing Confeder- 
ates were galled by a fire in their rear from Emory's troops and 
thrown back on their own lines. The fight continued for some 
hours with varying fortunes until Crook's Eighth Corps fell 
heavily on Early's left; at the same time Wilson's cavalry 
pressed in on his right and a general advance on his centre com- 
pleted the demoralization of his lines. By five o'clock in the 
afternoon the Confederates were in full retreat, and did not 
halt till they reached Fisher's Hill, twenty miles south of Win- 
chester. The Confederate loss was very heavy; Generals Rodes 
and Godwin were killed, together with about one thousand men, 
while Sheridan captured twenty-five hundred prisoners, five 
guns and nine flags. 

Determined to give his foe no rest, Sheridan attacked him at 
Fisher's HUl on the 22d and drove him from a strongly forti- 
fied position with the loss of a thousand prisoners and sixteen 
gims. General Torbert, with a heavy cavalry force, had been 
previously dispatched to seize New Market, in Early's rear, but 
was checked in the Luray Valley by General Wickham's cav- 
alry, or Early's destruction would have been complete. The 



374 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

fugitives were followed to Port Eepublic, and thence they 
escaped into the Blue Ridge with the loss of their wagon train. 
Then Sheridan began his work of devastation in the Shenan- 
doah Valley, and literally desolated the country. According to 
his own account he destroyed two thousand barns and seventy 
mills, filled with grain, flour, etc. ; drove off four thousand head 
of stock and killed for army use about three thousand sheep. 
Smarting under his defeat. Early rallied his troops and sent his 
cavalry under Rosser to harass Sheridan's rear, but he was soon 
disposed of with heavy loss in men aud material. On the 12th 
of October Early attempted a surprise on Sheridan's new po- 
sition at Fisher's Hill, but was repulsed Avith severe losses. 

BeUeving that Early had got his quietus for a time, Sheridan 
posted his forces in a strong position on the east side of Cedar 
Creek, with pickets extending along the north fork of the 
Shenandoah to Front Royal, and then temporarily assigning 
command to General Wright, Sheridan went to Washington. 

In the meantime Early, reinforced by Kershaw's Division 
and six hundred cavalry sent to him from Petersburg by Lee, 
planned and carried out a surprise. At dawn on the 19th of 
October, the whole Confederate force broke in on Crook's 
Division in the immediate front, and hurled it back on the sup- 
porting divisions. The Federal guns were turned upon the 
flying troops, and all efforts to rally the men failing. General 
Wright, with the entire army, fell back first to Middletown and 
then a few miles beyond, the confusion being so great that it 
was almost impossible to form a line. Early pushed on to 
Middletown, but his hour of triumph was about over. He had 
captured some twenty-four pieces of artiller}^ some twelve 
hundred men and the entire Federal camp and equipage, and 
probably expecting that the fugitives would fall further back, 
he allowed his men to rest, plunder and eat. This was 
fatal. General Sheridan, having transacted the official busi- 
ness which took him to Washington, had returned to 
Winchester on the night of the 18th, and slept there. The 
sound of cannonading up the valley in the morning he ascribed 
to a reconnoissance only, and therefore he breakfasted quietly 
and then rode leisurely out of the city, southward toward 



SHERIDAN'S FAMOUS RIDE. 375 

Kernstown. Here he met the fugitives, and quickly grasped 
the position. He had twelve miles to ride and an army and a 
reputation to save. Ordering the parking of the retreating 
artillery, he put his horse to the gallop and dashed on. As the 
fugitives thickened he did not draw rein, but waving his hat, 
shouted : ' " Face the other way, boys ! Come on ! We're going 
to lick them out of their boots ! " The change was magical : 
the disheartened men forgot fatigue, forgot defeat ; they were 
going to follow Sheridan, and they did this with a will. By 
the time he readied the front General Wright had succeeded in 
restoring something like order, and had made preparations f < a- 
an advance. Dashing along the lines Sheridan cheered the men 
and declared : " We'll have those camps and cannon again I" 
Approving all arrangements that had been made, Sheridan gave 
the order for an advance of the entire line at three o'clock. A 
terrible struggle ensued, but men in such a state of en- 
thusiasm were not to be repulsed to any great extent. There 
was a slight check when Early opened their own guns on them 
again, but it was soon over, and then the Confederates, pressed 
on both flanks by cavalry, were utterly routed. Through Mid- 
dletown and Strasburg to Fisher's Hill went the fugitives, leav- 
ing everything behind them. The Confederate losses were 
about 300 killed and wounded, 1,000 taken prisoners, and their 
whole camp equipage, wagons, horses, ammunition, etc. Sheri- 
dan lost about 300 men. The Federal troops returned to their 
old position on Cedar Creek, and Sheridan made his head- 
quarters at Kernstown, near Winchester, being now in full 
possession of the Shenandoah Valley, from Harper's Ferry to 
Staunton. With the exception of a few cavalry skirmishes, 
there was no other fighting until operations were resimied in 
the spring, for Early's army was virtually annihilated as an 
organization. On the 4th of November, General McClellan re- 
signed from the Army, and Sheridan was appointed to the 
major-generalship thus vacated. His gallant achievements 
took the public by storm and created almost unparalleled en- 
thusiasm, as well in official as in loyal circles outside. 



CHAPTER XXXIV. 

EVENTS OF 1865 — THE CLOSING SCENES OF THE WAR— DESPERATE ATTEMPTS OF 
THE BELEAGURED CONPi!,DERATES — EVACUATION AND BURNING OF RICHMOND 
— OCCUPATION OF PETERSBURG — SURRENDER OP LEE TO GRANT— DISPERSION 
OF THE ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA — CLOSING BATTLE AT PALMETTO 
RANCH, TEXAS— END OP THE WAR. 

In the early part of January, 1865, the beleaguered Con- 
federates in Eiclimond conceived the notable plan of severing 
the Federal army, lying on each side of the James Eiver, by 
destroying the obstructions at the lower end of Dutch Gap 
Canal and the pontoon bridges below. For this purpose the 
armored vessels Virginia, Fredericksburg and Richmond, and 
the wooden steamers Drewry, Naiisemond, Hampton, Buford 
and Torpedo, slipped silently down from under Fort Darling, 
a formidable battery on Drewry's Bluff, about eight miles 
from Richmond. There was an interchange of shots as the 
squadron was detected passing Fort Brady, but the Fredericks- 
burg broke through the Dutch Gap boom. The others failed to 
get through, and the Drewry, which had grounded, was blown 
up by a shell from one of the shore batteries. After sustaining 
a heavy fire for some time, the rest of the squadron hastened 
back to cover. 

During the first week of February, General Warren, with 
Gregg's cavalry, succeded after several sharp engagements, in 
seizing ground for the extension of the Federal linos to 
Hatcher's Run and the completion of the City Point railroad to 
that point. On February 27th, General Sheridan started on a 
raid which Grant had projected, to cut Lee's communications 
and seize Lynchburg. He had with him about ten thousand 
men under Generals George A. Custer and W. Merritt, and some 
of the cavalry of the old Army of West Virginia, under Colonel 
Capeheart. They moved on toward Staunton, Colonel Cape- 
heart disposing of the Confederate General Rosser at Mount 
Crawford, where he attempted to hinder the passage of the 



shekidan's dashing raid. 377 

stream. At Waynesboro' Early was intrenched and deter- 
mined to prevent the passage of Rockfish Gap. The contract, 
however, was too large for *his ability, and Custer, without 
waiting for the rest of the force, fell upon him, captured six- 
teen hundred of his men, and sent the other nine hundred, ^vith 
their discomfited leader, hunting for shelter across the Blue 
Ridge. Custer lost but about twelve men, and captured two 
hundred loaded wagons, eleven guns and seventeen flags. 
This time Early's boastful bubble was effectually punc- 
tured, and he retired into comparative obscurity. 

This occurred on March 2d, and the next day the authorities 
of Charlottesville formally surrendered that place to Sheridan. 
Deciding that Lynchburg was too strong for him, Sheridan 
passed round behind Lee's army, and proceeding eastward 
destroyed the James River Canal, the supply line for Richmond, 
and pushed on to Columbia. Halting here for a day while his 
men destroyed the canal as far as Goochland, he next struck 
the Virginia Central Railroad at Tolersville, and tore up the 
track for fifteen miles to Beaver Dam Station. There in two 
columns his men under Custer and Devin completed the 
destruction of bridges and railroads in all directions, and 
finally the whole force swe23t round by the Pamunkey River 
and White House, and rejoined the Army of the James, on 
Grant's right, on March 26th. This rapid, daring and successful 
raid not only seriously imperiled Richmond, but it made con- 
fusion worse confounded among the Confederate leaders ; in 
fact, the terror of Davis, his Cabinet and his Congress was 
such that preparations were made for immediate flight. The 
usual effects of failure, mutual suspicion and recrimination 
had been at work for some time, and during January there had 
been threats to strip Davis of his power and make Lee dictator, 
to put an end to the egotistical and ignorant interference of the 
Confederate President with military matters. 

To save himself the humiliation of deposition, Davis con- 
sented on February 1st, 1865, to the reappointment of General 
Johnston and the appointment of General L^e, by the Con- 
federate Congress, to the position of General-in-Chief of all 
the armies of the Confederacy. It was the beginning of the 



378 HISTORY OP THE CIVIL WAR. 

end. About this time also the project of abandoning Rich- 
mond and transferring the seat of Government to some point 
in the Cotton States was under consideration. The rapidly- 
occurring disasters of the next three months, however, left 
nothing in the shape of a government to be transferred any- 
where. 

Just before Sheridan's return from his brilliant raid, Grant 
had perfected his plans for an advance by the Army of the 
Potomac, under Meade, the Army of the James, under Ord, and 
the entire cavalry force, under Sheridan, the movement to be 
begun on March 29th. In the meantime Lee, suspecting that 
when Grant moved he would do so in force, determined on one 
desperate effort to burst the bonds which had so long restrained 
him. He decided on one leap for liberty, and on the morning 
of March 25th he ordered General Gordon, with a large force, 
to attack Fort Steadman, on Grant's extreme right, south of 
the Appomattox, so as to get control of the railroad to Hatcher's 
Run and open a pass for the army to cross the Roanoke and join 
Johnston. Twenty thousand men were in readiness to avail 
themselves of this outlet. At four o'clock in the morning 
Gordon dashed upon and into Fort Steadman, capturing several 
of the surprised garrison— Fourteenth New York Artillery and 
First Division of the Nmth Corps — and driving out those who 
escaped capture. The surprise had been well planned, for the 
guns of the fort were promptly turned on the connecting 
line of intrenchments, and the redoubts were cleared in short 
order. The advantage was lost, however, by the failure of the 
reserves to advance. The fort guns were then turned on Fort 
Haskell, to the left, and an assault was attempted, but the 
position was gallantly held by Major Woermer, and when 
General John F. Hartranf t's Division of the Ninth Corps came 
up, the Confederates, caught between heavy artillery fires and 
faced by a strong force, threw down their arms. Thus nine- 
teen hundred men became prisoners instead of victors, when 
success had been fairly within tlieir grasp. Those who at- 
tempted to escape were mowed down, and the Federal forces, 
seizing the auspicious moment, pressed forward and captured 
the intrenched picket line of the Confederates. 



GRANT BEGINS HIS ADVANCE. ' 379 

Lee's plans had failed and had not even disturbed those of 
Grant, for on tbe morning of the 29th, the corps of Warren and 
Humphreys began the advance, crossing Rovvanty Creek and 
Hatcher's Run, and moving in two parallel columns against the 
Confederate flank. Sheridan had moved at the same time 
from Bermuda Hundred and had pushed on to Dinwiddle Court 
House. At night he was but six miles from Warren and 
Humphreys, giving the Federals an unbroken line to the Appo- 
mattox. Lee quickly perceived the peril of his right wing, and 
concentrated some fifteen thousand men and Fitzhugh Lee's 
cavalry across the path of Warren and Humphreys. A heavy 
rain on the night of the 29th had s® damaged the roads that 
Grant suspended his advance, but Lee was desperate and reck- 
less, and he made a sudden dash on the Federal position. The 
movement was so heavy and sudden that Ayres' division was 
forced back on Crawford's, throwing that also into confusion, 
but Griffin's division, in the rear, remained firm, and Warren 
was speedily enabled to retaliate. Tlie Confederates were driven 
back to their intrenchments, but an attempt to dislodge them 
failed. 

In the meantime Sheridan had pushed forward the troops of 
Devin and Davies and captured the Confederate position at Five 
Forks. Baffled in his first attempt, Lee now attacked the 
position with the divisions of Pickett and Bushrod Johnson, 
and the Federal cavalry were driven back upon Dinwiddle 
Court House. The Confederate advantage, however, was soon 
lost, for Sheridan charged on their flank, and sharp fighting 
ensued until night came on. By dawn, on the morning of 
April 1st, Ayres had hastened to the support of Sheridan, who 
then dashed forward and drove the Confederates back into the 
works at Five Forks, while Warren was moving to the White 
Oak road on the Confederate left. At 4 o'clock that afternoon 
Warren advanced in line of battle, with Crawford's division 
on the right, Ayres' on the left and Griffin's bringing up thfi 
rear. After some sharp fighting in the open field, Ayres 
carried the Confederate works on the right, capturing about 
one thousand men, while Griffin did the same on the left. 
Immediately after this the cavalry charged ever the works, 



380 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

and the Confederates fled in wild disorder. Five thousand men 
and several guns and colors were captured. 

That night General Grant ordered a cannonade along the whole 
of the line investing Petersburg, from Appomattox to Hatcher's 
Run, and at daybreak on the 2d the assault began. The outer 
works were carried at several points, and the South Side Rail- 
road, Lee's most important hne of communication, was cut at 
three points. Gibbon's Division of Ord's command simulta- 
neously attacked the lines south of Petersburg and captured 
Forts Gregg and Alexander. The Confederate forces, now 
strengthened by Longstreet, who had pushed forward from 
Richmond, were confined within the inner line, and Lee con- 
sidered himself competent to attempt the recapture of the 
works on his left. Heth struck the Ninth Corps heavily, but 
was repulsed, and General A. P. Hill was shot dead. The last 
hope of holding either Petersburg or Richmond was gone, and 
Lee, shortly after ten o'clock on Sunday morning, April 2, tele- 
graphed to Jeff. Davis at Richmond that his lines were broken 
and that Richmond must be evacuated. He proposed himself 
to maintain a bold front at Petersburg till night, and then try 
to reach Johnston by the Danville railroad. 

It soon became evident in Richmond that Davis and his Cabi- 
net were preparing for flight, and the wildest excitement pre- 
vailed. That evening Davis fled by the railroad, the Virginia 
Legislature, in canal boats, left for Columbia, and the Confed- 
erate Congress had dispersed. The Treasury gold had been sent 
on to Danville early in the day, and by midnight Major Melton, 
representing the Confederate War Department, had carried out 
his orders, despite the protests of the civil authorities, and had 
applied the torch to the warehouses and stores. By noon on 
April 3d the whole centre of the city was a blazing heap of 
ruins. The troops had crossed to the south side of the James 
River by seven o'clock that morning, burning the bridges be- 
hind them. Terriiic concussions now shook the country around ; 
these were caused by the blowing up of the magazine, the ram 
Virginia and the iron-clads Fredericksburg and Richmond. 
General Godfrey Weitzel, who had been watching for some 
such movement, at once advanced, but with caution, as the 



EVACUATION OF RICHMOND. 381 

approaches were known to be planted with terra-torpedoes. 
Fortunately, the retreat had been so hasty that the Confederates 
forgot to remove the little red flags, marking these explosives, 
which had been placed for their protection. At seven o'clock 
that evening Mayor Mayo formally sm-rendered the city, and the 
Stars and Stripes were soon floating over the Virginia State 
House, from which the Confederate Congress had just fled in 
such hot haste and abject terror. 

General George F. Shepley, Chief of Staff to General Weitzel, 
was appointed Military Governor; Lieutenant-Colonel Manning, 
Provost Marshal, the city being placed under military rule. 
Vigorous efforts were made by the troops to suppress the flames, 
but the inhabitants who remained were sullen and refused to 
respond to the conciliatory advances made. They were there- 
fore allowed to sulk, with a significant warning not to attempt 
any public meetings to air their disloyalty. 

While Richmond was blazing, Lee's troops in Petersburg were 
quitting so secretly that they were many miles away when the 
Federal pickets discovered, at dawn, that the intrenchments 
before them were entirely abandoned. General Grant at once 
took possession of the city, and sent his columns in rapid pursuit 
of the fugitives. 

When Lee determined on the evacuation of Richmond and 
Petersburg, he arranged to concentrate his retreating forces at 
Amelia Court House, and for that purpose ordered up commis- 
sary and quartermaster's stores from Danville to that point. 
The selfish haste, however, of the Confederate authorities at 
Richmond, frustrated all his plans. With a view of furnishing 
transportation for the fleeing administration, these supply trains 
were ordered on to Richmond, and there became involved in 
the general conflagration. Consequently, when Lee arrived at 
xxinelia Court House, he found himself stripped of all supphes 
and compelled to forage for food. 

Meanwhile Grant had been pressing on his pursuit, and on 
April 6th nearly the whole of the Army of the Potomac was 
at Jetersville, ready to advance on Lee at Amelia Court House. 
By this time it was found that Lee had left that position, had 
passed the left flank of the Federal army and wa*s moving west- 



383 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

ward to Deatonsville. Sheridan, with his cavalry in three 
columns, pushed after the fugitives, and at Sailor's Creek the 
divisions of Crook and Devin cut off Swell's Corps from the 
main Confederate army. After a fierce struggle the Con- 
federates were overwhelmed and General Ewell, four other 
general officers and six thousand men were taken prisoners. 
During the night of April 6th the shattered remnant of Lee's 
army crossed the bridges over the Appomattox at Farmville and 
attempted to burn the bridges behind them, but succeeded in 
destroying only one of them. A position was taken up, 
strongly intrenched, on the stage and plank roads to Lynch- 
burg, a few miles north of Farmville, but the men were abso- 
lutely starving and the officers were beginning to show signs of 
insubordination. Without the presence of Lee, a military 
council was held and it was decided that the time for surrender 
had arrived. This was communicated to Lee, but he posi- 
tively refused to accede to the proposed capitulation. 

On April 7th General Humphreys had ordered a combined 
assault on Lee's fortified position by General Miles on the left 
and General Barlow on the front. Miles incautiously made his 
attack before Barlow was in position, and was repulsed with 
serious loss. This further increased Lee's obstinacy. In the 
meantime General Grant, convinced that his foe was fairly in 
his hands, considered that the time had arrived when the 
promptings of humanity ought to be listened to. With noble 
magnanimity he sent a note to Lee, from Farmville, to the fol- 
lowing effect : 

" The result of the last week must convince you of the hopelessness of 
further resistance on the part of the Army of Northern Virginia in this 
struggle. I feel that it is so; and regard it as my duty to shift from myself 
the responsibility of any further effusion of blood by asking of you the sur- 
render of that portion of the Confederate States Army known as the Army 
of Northern Virginia." 

Lee sent an equivocal reply, not admitting the hopelessness of 
his cause, but asking what terms would be given, and then 
commenced a hasty retreat. On receiving this note on the 
morning of the 8th, Grant sent another communication, indicat- 
ing in general terms his proposition and suggesting a personal 



lee's last efforts foiled. 883 

conference. Lee was meanwhile struggling to get away be- 
yond Lynchburg into the passes of the Blue Ridge, and, there- 
fore, to gain time he sent another reply, in which, after inti- 
mating that he did not think the time had come for the 
surrender of his army, he proposed to accept the suggestion of a 
meeting to be held the next morning, between the picket lines, 
on the Richmond stage road, to treat for peace. To this casu- 
istical communication Grant's reply was terse, but still cour- 
teous ; many another man would have lost his temper over the 
tliinly disguised equivocation of Lee's letters. He said, in 
effect, that such a meeting, upon such a basis, would be futile. 
He had not the authority to treat for peace, but had both desire 
and authority to grant liberal terms in respect of a surrender. 

While this correspondence was going on, General Sheridan, 
with characteristic promptitude, was making his arrangements 
to prevent the needless spilling of either ink or blood. With 
General Custer in the advance, he made a forced march of 
thirty miles, and reaching Appomatt' 'X Station, on the Lynch- 
burg Railroad, captured the four supply trains on which Lee's 
men depended for their next meal, and on the evening of the 
8th he had blocked Lee's last hope of escape, while the rest of 
his command was hurrying up to be in readiness to annihilate 
the Confederate Army. Still undaunted, Lee resolved upon 
another desperate effort. He had but about ten thousand men, 
and these he hurled upon Sheridan's line on the morning of 
April 9th with such impetuosity that the Federals fell back, but 
Sheridan knew that the men in front of him had no staying 
powers, that they were weakened by want of food and loss of 
ambition, so he quietly ordered a steady retrograde movement, 
wearying the foe meanwhile until he had perfected his arrange- 
ments. Then when the Confederates were ready for a final 
charge, they were confronted by a wall of determined men 
whose fixed bayonets gleamed ominously. It was enough I 
Sheridan's cavalry were just about to charge when the display 
of a white flag stopped hostilities. 

At this moment, elsewhere, a still more important scene was 
being enacted. The failure to break Sheridan's line convinced 
Lee that his hour of humiliation had arrived. He hastily sent 



384 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

a note to Grant acknowledging the receipt of the latter's letter, 
and asking for an interview to arrange for a surrender. General 
Grant was just setting out to join Sheridan, but promptly signi- 
fied his willingness to meet Lee, at once. 

About 2 o'clock on Sunday afternoon, April 9th (singularly 
enough it was Palm Sunday), General Grant, attended by 
Colonel Parker, his chief aid, and General Lee, attended by 
his Adjutant-General, Colonel Marshall, met in the residence of 
Wilmer McLean, at Appomattox Court House. After a cour- 
teous interchange of civilities, as became brave men who had 
faced each other undauntedly for many weary months, each 
sincere in the conviction of the justice of the cause he espoused, 
the two commanders rapidly discussed the terms of surrender, 
and then they were reduced to writing. With great delicacy 
General Grant made the proposition of surrender and tendered 
it for Lee's acceptance. Appended is the text of the document : 

Appomattox Court House, Va., April 9, 1865. 

" General— lu accordance with the text of my letter to you of the 8th 
inst., I propose to receive the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia 
on the following terms— to wit : Rolls of all the officers and men to be made 
in duplicate ; one copy to be given to an officer to be designated by me, the 
other to be retained by such other officer or officers as you may designate. 
The officers to give their individual paroles not to take up arms against the 
Government of the United States until properly exchanged ; and each com.- 
pany or regimental commander to siga a like parole for the men of their 
commands. The arms, artillery and public property to be packed and 
stacked, and turned over to the officers appointed by me to receive them. 
This will not embrace the side arms of the officers, nor their private horses 
or baggage. This done, f ach officer and man will be allowed to return to his 
home, not to be disturbed by United States authority so long as they observe 
their paroles and the laws in force whex'e they reside. 

'•U. S. Grant, Lieutenant-General. 

" To General R. E. Lee." 

" Headquarters Army of Northern Virginia, April 9, 186.5. 

"General—I received your letter of this date, containing the terms of the 
surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, as proposed by you. As they 
are substantially the same as those expressed in your letter of the 8th inst , 
they are accepted. I will proceed to designate the proper officers to carry 
the stipulations into effect. E. E. Lek, General. 

"ToLieut.-General U. S. Grant." 

This important matter having been thus happily adjusted, 



LAST STRUGGLES OF THE WAR. 385 

General Grant promptly provided for the feeding of the fam- 
ished Confederate troops from the Federal stores. We have 
seen that their last hungrily-looked-for rations had been cap- 
tured by Sheridan. On April 12th, the captives were marched 
in divisions to a point near Appomattox Court House, where 
they stacked their arms and accoutrements. The men then 
received their paroles and, where it was needed, transportation 
to their homes and food for the journey. General Lee went to 
join his family in Richmond, and there, for nearly a month, till 
he could arrange his private affairs, they were furnished with 
daily rations from the Federal commissariat stores. 

General Grant and his staff left for City Point on the 11th, 
and on the morning of the 14th arrived in Washington, whence 
he was called to New York that evening, and thus escaped the 
immediate horror of the assassination episode. 

General Meade was intrusted with the details of the sur- 
render, and the army returned first to Burkesville Station and 
then to Petersburg and Richmond. 

In a previous chapter we have detailed the surrender of 
General Johnston to General Sherman, and we have therefore 
now to trace only the desultory warfare west of the Mississippi 
to close our record of the military operations of the civil war. 

On April 21st General E. Kirby Smith issued an address re- 
lating the disaster which had befallen the Army of Northern 
Virginia, but counseling continued resistance on the ground 
of expected aid from foreign nations. General Smith's appeal 
aroused such manifestations of feeling in Texas that General 
Sheridan was sent to New Orleans, and began preparations, 
with a large force, for further operations in Texas and Louisi- 
ana. But the end was rapidly approaching. The final battle 
was fought on May 13th at Palmetto Ranche, near the Rio 
Grande, between Colonel Theodore H. Barrett, of the Sixty- 
second United States Colored Infantry, and a Confederate 
force under General J. E. Slaughter. The battle lasted for 
nine hours, the odds being largely in favor of the Confederates, 
both as to numbers and position. Their repeated attacks, how- 
ever, failed to break Colonel Barrett's line, and they finally 
retired. It is somewhat remarkable that the carnage of this 



386 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

terrible war ended when Slaughter ceased to fight, and that 
colored men, the primary cause of the ' ' recent unpleasant- 
ness," were the last to fire a volley in the war ; and further yet, 
that a colored man, Sergeant Crockett, of the Sixty-second 
Colored Infantry, was the last man wounded. 

Thirteen days after the battle of Palmetto Ranche, General 
E. Kirby Smith surrendered his entire command to General 
Canby, the energetic movements of General Sheridan at New 
Orleans having convinced him at last that discretion was the 
better part of valor. Thus ended on May 26, 1865, the entire 
"War of the Rebellion. 

In a concluding chapter we shall pick up the thread of politi- 
cal history, narrate the terrible episode of Lincoln's assassina- 
tion, and trace the fortunes of the fugitive Confederate Gov- 
emment. 



CHAPTER XXXV. 

POLITICAL MATTERS— LINCOLN'S RE-ELECTION— THE GREAT CONSPIRACT 

ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN— ATTEMPTS ON THE LIFE OF 
SECRETARY SEWARD— FLIGHT AND CAPTURE OF J. WILKES BOOTH, THE 
ASSASSIN—CAPTURE, TRIAL AND EXECUTION OF THE CONSPIRATORS- 
CAPTURE OF JEFF DAVIS — CONCLUSION. 

While the armed forces of the United States and of the Con- 
federacy were wrestling on the final battle-fields of the war, a 
no less bitter and, perhaps, far more dangerous struggle was in 
progress in the political arena, and, as has too frequently, 
happened in its history, the Democratic party, with monu- 
mental stupidity, allowed a few factious, self-seeking, scheming 
and utterly unreliable men to place it in the seeming position 
of being an active factor in the efforts to dissolve the Union. 
There were anti-war Democrats, it is true, and they aired their 
opinions freely— but, on the other hand, there were anti-war 
Repubhcans also, only in the latter case, as in that of the 
Spartan boy who stole the fox— there was shrewd, almost 
demoniac courage in the matter of hiding it under the cloak. 
It may honestly be doubted whether there was at any time 
during the war either a Republican or a Democrat who could 
conscientiously have placed himself on record in the language 
of Rutherford B.Hayes— "my heart bleeds for tlie poor negro!" 
The " Knights of the Bleeding Heart" were very scarce in those 
days, even if the order had been actually instituted. There 
were Democrats as honestly earnest as the best among the 
Republicans for the suppression of Secession, and these did not 
hesitate to call it Rebellion, though just how that stigaia could, 
logically, attach among a " Nation of Sovereigns," is beyond 
our casuistic powers to comprehend. 

The summer of 1864 brought with it the momentous issue of 
a Presidential election. There were some sharply defined hues. 
Among the Republicans there were those who condemned 
President Lincoln for his caution and humanitarian bias ; they 



388 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL "WAR. 

called it irresolution or cowardice, and desired to elect a more 
hot-headed, or, at any rate, a more vindictive Executive. There 
were Republicans who fully appreciated the fidelity, the quiet 
energy and the sublime Christianity of the man who '"never 
lost his head" and was ever most cool when others were most 
excited. The former, calling themselves " the Radical men of 
the nation," held a convention at Cleveland, Ohio, on May 31st. 
About three hundred and fifty delegates were present, and they 
adopted a platform, some of the planks of which embraced the 
following propositions: The duty of the Government to sup- 
press the Rebellion by force of arms ; the right of free speech 
and the enjoyment of the privilege of the writ of Habeas Cor- 
pus ; the advocacy of the Monroe Doctrine ; the policy of re- 
stricting the incumbency of the Presidential office to one term ; 
the election of the President and Yice-President directly from 
the people ; the commission of the work of " reconstruction to 
the people instead of to the President ;" the confiscation of the 
lands of the rebels and their division among soldiers and actual 
settlers. It will be seen that underlying many of these specious 
provisions was an actual rebuke to President Lincoln. In ac- 
cordance with the one-term principle they placed in nomina- 
tion General John C. Fremont and General John Cochrane, for 
President ana Vice-President, respectively. 

The Union National Convention, in reality the legitimate 
party organization, met in Baltimore, Maryland, on June 7. 
Delegates were present, regularly elected according to party 
rules, from all the States not in rebellion. The platform adopted 
contained a pledge to sustain the Government in its efforts to 
suppress the Rebellion ; an approval of the determination of the 
Government not to compromise with the rebels ; an approval of 
the acts of the Government in relation to slavery and of an 
amendment to the Constitution for the prohibition of slavery 
(a plank which the " Radicals " had rejected or dodged) ; a prof- 
fer of thanks to the soldiers and sailors who had helped to 
save their country ; an expression of perfect confidence in 
Abraham Lincoln and an indorsement of his acts; a declaration 
that it was the duty of the Government to give equal protection 
to all persons in its service without regard to color ; an indorse- 



THE POLITICAL CONVENTIONS. 389 

ment of the Monroe Doctrine ; favoring encouragement to for- 
eign immigration, and the speedy completion of a railroad to 
the Pacific Ocean, and declaiming that the national faith in 
regard to the public debt must be kept inviolate. In emphatic 
sustentation of this platform, the convention renominated 
Abraham Lincoln for President, and associated with him lor 
Vice-President Andrew Johnson, then Military Governor of 
Tennessee. They were honest, long-headed men who formu- 
lated these resolutions and nominations, for their perfection, 
directness and essential nationalism took the svind completely 
out of the sails of the so-called " Liberal " faction. Fremont 
and Cochrane withdrew from a contest which could only have 
divided the Republican party and imperiled its existence. 

The Conservative party had called its Convention to meet on 
July 4th, but the serpent crept into their Garden of Eden, and 
they postponed the meeting until August 29th (for reasons 
which we shall presently refer to), and then they met at Chi- 
cago. Hoi-atio Seymour, of New York, presided, and his 
speech condemning the war and criticising the administration 
indicated more than mere political opposition. However, it was 
part of the programme, and had doubtless been carefully 
" slated.' The construction of a platform was intrusted to a 
committee consisting of one delegate from each State repre- 
sented, with James Guthrie, of Kentucky, as nominal " boss 
carpenter," though the real architect was undoiibtedl}' Clement 
L. Vallandigham, who, as a Representative from Ohio, had, on 
July 10th, 1861, made a bitter attack in Congress on President 
Lincoln, charging him with usurpation in respect of the miU- 
tary preparations ; who had been arrested in Dayton, Ohio, on 
May 4th, 1863 ; tried and convicted by a court martial of trea- 
sonable conduct ; sentenced to continement in a fortress ; par- 
tially pardoned by the President on condition of exile from the 
United States, and who had now returned from Canada in the 
hope and expectation that his violation of the conditions would 
lead to his arrest and precipitate the development of certain 
acts of conspiracy then under consideration. Under such in- 
spiration it is not surprising that the platform, after the regula- 
tion declaration of *' fidelity to the Union under the Coustitu- 



390 HISTORY OP THE CIVIL WAR. 

tion," proceeded to denounce the Government and embodied 
the following resolution : 

'^Resolved, That this Convention does explicitly declare, as the sense of the 
American people, that, after four years of failure to restore the Union by 
the experiment of war, during which, under the pretense of a military 
necessity, of a war power higher than the Constitution, the Constitution 
itself has been disregarded in every part, and public liberty and private 
rights alike trodden down, and the material prosperity of the country 
essentially impaired. Justice, humanity, liberty and the public welfare 
demand that immediate efforts be made for a cessation of hostilities with a 
view to an ultimate convention of all the States, or other peaceable means, 
to the end that, at the earliest practicable moment, peace may be restored 
on the basis of the Federal Union of the States." 

The platform closed with the assurance of Democratic sym- 
pathy for the Union soldiers, and a promise of care and protec- 
tion. The platform was adopted, and then General George B. 
McClellan, of New Jersey, was nominated for President, and 
George H. Pendleton, of Ohio, for Vice-President. 

As one of those " blunders which are worse than crimes," the 
action of this convention was unique. Loudly condemned by 
the public voice, it was silently slain by the ballot boxes in No- 
vember, and President Lincoln was triumphantly re-elected, 
only Delaware, Kentucky and New Jersey supporting the 
McClellan ticket. 

We have alluded to reasons for the postponement of the 
Chicago Convention. There was held in the meantime a kind 
of Secession Conference by the leaders of the Peace Faction 
and other sympathizers on the Canada side of Niagara Falls, 
and Horace Greeley, of the New York Tribune, was induced to 
submit to the President a " plan of adjustment," contemplat- 
ing the restoration of the Union, the abolition of slavery, a 
complete amnesty for all public offenses, the payment of $400,- 
000,000 to the owners of the emancipated slaves, a change in 
the representation of slave-labor States, and a National Con- 
vention to ratify and settle in detail such adjustment. After 
good-naturedly discussmg the subject for some days, Mr. Lin- 
coln finally "put his foot down" on anything but unconditional 
surrender. There was nothing for it then but to try and com- 
mit the Democratic party by means of the convention proceed- 



ANOTHER CONFEDERATE INTRIGUE. 391 

ings. As a sequel the convention was committed, but the 
Democratic party, as such, was not. 

The next move made by the Confederate authorities was 
through the intervention of Francis P. Blair, Sr., of Maryland, 
who in January, 1865, obtained an interview with President 
Lincoln, during which he exhibited a letter written by Jeff 
Davis expressing a willingness to appoint a commission to 
renew the effort to enter into a conference with a view to secui e 
peace to " f/ie two countries.'''' Mr. Lincoln, with his customary 
courteous shrewdness, wrote a letter to Mr. Blair, which might 
be shown to Davis, in which he expressed willingness to treat 
with any properly accredited person, "with a view of securing 
peace to the people of our common country. ^^ The words 
italicized by us are the keys of the correspondence : an attempt 
on the one side to obtain recognition for, and a distinct refusal 
on the other to grant recognition of, an independent govern- 
ment. Could Davis have had everything his own way, this 
would have ended the matter, but with the threatened dictator- 
ship of Lee hanging over him, he was compelled to send a 
commission. He appointed Alexander H. Stephens, John A. 
Campbell and R. M. T. Hunter, a member of the Confederate Sen- 
ate, as Commissioners to proceed to Washington and confer with 
the President of the United States. Davis' instructions ' ' to pro- 
ceed to Washington " were considerably modified in their result 
by the refusal of the United States Government to allow said 
Commissioners to approach nearer than Hampton Roads. They 
were not allowed to land, but on board the vessel which brought 
them they had first a conference with Secretary of State Seward, 
and then, on February 3d, with the President and Secretary 
jointly. Of course the matter came to nothing, for the Pres- 
ident w^ould not yield one iota, and he further told the Commis- 
sioners that Congress had, three days before, adopted an 
amendment to the Constitution prohibiting slavery throughout 
the United States. Equally as a matter of course, the Confed- 
erates were furious when their Commissioners returned. They 
threatened to make the Yankees sue for peace within twelve 
months, ' 'and resolved never to lay down their arms until in- 
dependence was won." 



392 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

On December Gth, 1864, a raonth after the re-election of Presi- 
dent Lincoln, Congress reassembled, and in his annual message 
the President alluded to the fact that the question of Union or 
no Union had been definitely settled. He further said, " In 
stating a single condition of peace, I mean simply to say that 
the war will cease on the part of the Government whenever it 
shall have ceased on the part of those who began it." He further 
urged the House of Representatives to concur with the Senate 
in adopting a " thirteenth amendment" to the Constitution of 
the United States, prohibiting slavery in the Republic forever. 
This me^isure, which had been adopted by the Senate April 8th, 
1864, by a vote of 38 to 6, was taken into consideration by the 
House of Representatives on January 6th, 1865. It was adopted 
on January 31st, by a vote of 119 to 56, amid intense excitement 
and enthusiasm. When order was restored, Mr. IngersoU, of 
IlHnois, moved that, " In honor of this immortal and sublime 
event the House do now adjourn." This motion was adopted 
by a vote of 121 to 24. This was the measure alluded to by 
President Lincoln in his interview, at Hampton Roads, with the 
Confederate Commissioners, and his prediction that it would be 
ratified was sustained, when, on the 18th of December, 1865, the 
Secretary of State announced its adoption by the requisite three- 
fourths of the Legislatures of the States, which made it part of 
the Constitution. 

On March 4th, 1865, President Lincoln was inaugurated for 
his second term. In view of the calamity then impending, and 
of the great succet^s of the Federal arms then about to be con- 
summated, we may be excused for quoting a portion of his 
solemn, pathetic and significant inaugural address. He said : 

"Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which 
it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict 
might cease with, or even before, the conflict itself should cease. Each 
looked for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental and astounding. 
* * * * Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each 
invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should 
dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of 
Other men's faces; but let us judge not, that we be not judged. The prayers 
of both could not be answered. That of neither has been answered fully. 
The Almighty has His own purposes. ' Woe unto the world because of 



LINCOLN'S SECOND INAUGUIIAL. 393 

offenses, for it must needs be that offenses come; but woe unto that man by 
whom tbe offense coraeth!' U we shall suppose that American slavery is 
one of these offenses, whicli, in thte providence of God, must needs come, 
but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to 
remove, and that He gives to both Nc)rth and South this terrible war as the 
woe due to those by whom the offense came, shall we discern therein any 
departure from those divine attributes which the believers in a living God 
always ascribe to him ? Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray that this 
mighty scourge of war may soon pass away. Yet if God wills that it con- 
tinue until aU the wealth piled by the bondsmen's two hundred and fifty 
years of unrequited toil shaU be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn 
with the lash shall be paid with another drawn by the sword, as was said 
three thousand years ago, so still it must be said, ' The judgments of the 
Lord are true and righteous altogether.' * * * * With malice toward 
none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as GoJ gives us to see 
the right, let us strive on to finish the work \ve are in, to bind up the nation's 
wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow 
and his orphf)ns— to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting 
peace among ourselves and with all nations." 

These were noble sentiments, welling up from the Christian 
heart of as pure a patriot as ever drew the breath of life, and 
yet the shadow of a dreadful death was hovering over and 
around him. " The Thugs were on his trail," sleeplessly plotting 
and planning his destruction. Doubtless among those who 
heard him were those who had already contrived his taking-off ; 
and away in the Confederate capital, so soon to expiate in 
flames the taint of their presence, were those who were guil- 
tily hugging the horrible secret that with their humiliation 
should come his doom, dealt by a hirehng hand. 

For several days prior to the evacuation of Richmond Presi- 
dent Lincoln had been at City Point, and on April 4th, the day 
after Eichmond was evacuated, he went there in the Malvern, 
Admiral Porter's flagship. He was enthusiastically received by 
the colored people, who pressed around him to grasp the hand 
of their liberator. On the 6th he went again to that city, ac- 
companied by Mrs. Lincoln, Vice-Prc sident Andrew Johnson 
and several Senators. While there a number of leading Con- 
federates called upon him, and propositions were made looking 
to a permit for the reassembling of the Virginia Legislature, 
under a pledge that the work of reconstruction should begin at 
once, and moral and material aid to the Confedei acy should be 



394 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

withheld. To this the President assented, but the tenor of the 
legislation differed so widely from that promised as to compel 
the President to withdraw the safeguard he had accorded and 
to instruct General Weitzel to bring about the dissolution of the 
Legislature. 

About this time, April 5th, Jeff Davis, who had made good 
his escape to Danville (whither his wife had preceded him by 
some four or five days with all her portable effects), issued a 
proclamation in which he boastfully declared that the evacua- 
tion of Richmond had left the army free to move from point 
to point and strike the enemy in detail far from his base. He 
declared his intention to defend the soil of Virginia and repudi- 
ated any peace with the infamous invaders of her territory. 
He further said : "If, by the stress of numbers we should ever 
be compelled to a temporary withdrawal from her limits, or 
those of any other border State, again and again will we return, 
until the baffled and exhausted enemy shall abandon in despair 
his endless and impossible task of making slaves of a people 
resolved to be free." This biaggadocio flowed vigorously from a 
pen held by a hand well nigh palsied by apprehension and despair. 

It may be here noted that one of the earliest of the Confed- 
erate Cabinet to wholly disappear was Secretary Judah P. 
Benjamin, whose whereabouts could not be traced till he 
turned up in London. We noted his death in Paris some little 
time since, and now it appears from a statement in the London 
Law Times of this month (July, 1884), referring to the probate 
of his will, that he was born a British subject, was never natural- 
ized as an American citizen, though he had been a member of 
the United States Senate, and one of the Confederate Cabinet, 
and that he died a French subject. His will disposes of about 
1300,000 worth of personalty and $200,000 worth of real estate. 
It is dated April 30, lc83. He undoubtedly had a tine law prac- 
tice m Lincoln's I un. Yet ic would hardly seem that such an 
estate, with his habits, could have been accumulated in the 
time. It is true that a large quantity of treasure was unac- 
counted for when matters were overhauled, and it may be 
that some of it went to England when Judah P. Benjamin 
turned his steps in that direction. 



ASSASSINATION OF LINCOLN. 396 

We must now turn to the saddest episode in the whole history 
of the Civil War. As we have previously mentioned, Lieu- 
tenant-General Grant, after Lee's surrender, went to City Point 
and thence to Washington City, arriving there on the morning 
of the fatal 14th day of April. He was accompanied by Captain 
Robert T. Lincoln (now Secretary of War), who was one of his 
staff oflQcers. The latter breakfasted with his father, the 
President, and related the occurrences of the surrender, at which 
he was present. A Cabinet meeting was held that morning at 
eleven o'clock, Lieutenant-General Grant being present. After 
the adjournment, he remained in conversation with the Presi- 
dent some little time, and it was finally arranged that they 
should visit Ford's Theatre together in the evening, to witness 
the performance of " Our American Cousin," which was having 
a great run. The President sent a messenger to engage a box, 
and the watchful conspirators were doubtless promptly apprised 
of the arrangements. Subsequently, General Grant was called 
to New York, and thus probably escaped assassination, as he 
was inquired for in the theatre about nine o'clock in the even- 
ing, by a man bearing a large package. The party in the box, 
therefore, consisted only of President and Mrs. Lincoln, Major 
H. R. Rathbone and Miss Clara W. Harris. The President was 
in excellent spirits, as indeed he might well be, in view of ac- 
complished facts. For some weeks, at least, a sort of haunting 
foreboding had depressed him, an indefinable sense of danger 
had kept him strained and watchful, but now, amused and 
interested, the black shadow was for the moment forgotten. It 
has been said that " the darkest hour precedes the dawn," but 
in this case, as indeed seems fitting, all vs as reversed. 

The identity of the person who at nine o'clock attempted to 
gain access to General Grant has never been ascertained, but 
that his movements were pare of the Satanic conspiracy cannot 
be doubted. Be that as it may, shortly after ten o'clock John 
Wilkes Booth, after sending in a card by the President's mes- 
senger, passed rapidly into the President's box, and going behind 
Mr. Lincoln's chair, shot the President through the head. His 
rapid entrance had been unnoticed, but the sharp report of the 
pistol, which fell like the clap of doom on the awe-stricken 



396 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

audience, for a moment stunned the occupants of the box^ 
Major Rathbone sprang to his feet and confronted a fiend who, 
having thrown down his smoking Derringer pistol, was now 
pressing to the front of the box, brandishing a dagger. Major 
Rathbone, hardly yet conscious of what had been done, seized 
Booth, but he broke from the Major's grasp after inflicting a 
severe wound on his left arm, and dashing to the front of the 
box, leaped to the stage, shouting at the same time, " Sic sem- 
per Tyrannis." The Presidential box was draped with the Na- 
tional fljg, and in this one of Booth's spurs causht. He fell to 
the boards, breaking one of his legs, but immediately scram- 
bled up and hurried across the stage to the prompter's post and 
disappeared m the wings, along a passage purposely left clear 
for him by a stage carpenter who was in the plot; when he gained 
the exit door, another miscreant was waiting with a horse. 
Springing to the saddle, despite his injury he rode furiously 
away. We shall trace his course later on, but will now return to 
the Presidential box. 

The assassin's bullet had entered Mr. Lincoln's head above and 
back of the temporal bone, and passing through his brain,lodged 
just behind the right eye. A portion of the brain was oozing 
from the wound, the President's head having fallen slightly for- 
ward. Mr. Lincoln was quite unconscious, and was carried 
across the street to the house of a Mr. Peterson. The Surgeon- 
General of the Army and several other medical gentlemen were 
promptly in attendance, but all human skill was unavailing, 
and without recovering consciousness. President Lincoln 
passed away about twenty minutes past seven o'clock on the 
morningof April 15th. his noble, rugged countenance assuming 
an expression of perfect serenity. 

The screams of Mrs. Lincoln had given the first clear indica- 
tion to the audience of the nature of the tragedy which had 
been enacted, and then, amid the wildest excitement, there 
were shouts of " Hang him ! hang him ! " as those nearest the 
stage charged across the footlights. But the miscreant had too 
well planned his escape, and was on horseback almost before his 
crime was actually known. 

Captain Theodore McGowan, Assistant Adjutant-General to 



THE NARRATIVE OP AN EYE-WITNESS. 397 

General Augur, who was in the theatre, gives the following ac- 
count of what he witnessed:, 

"Arriving at the theatre just after the entrance of Presicient Lincoln and 
the party jiccompanying l.im, my friend Lieutenant Crawford and I, after 
viewing the Presidential party from the opposite side of the dress circle, 
went to the right side and took seats in the passage above the seats of the 
dress circle and about five feet from the door of the box occupied by Presi- 
dent Lincoln. During the performance the attendant of the President came 
out and took the chair nearest the door. I sat, and had been sitting, about f om* 
feet to his left and rear for some time, waen a man, whose face I do n( t dis- 
tinctly recollect, passed me and inquired of one sitting near who the Presi- 
dent's messenger was and, learning, exhibited to him an envelope, apparently 
official, having a printed heading and superscribed in a bold hand. I could 
not read the address— in fact, I did not try. I think now it was meant for 
Lieutenant-General Grant. That man went away. Some time after I was 
disturbed in my seat by the approach of a man who desired to pass up on the 
aisle in which I was sitting. Giving him room by bending my chair forward, 
he passed me and stepped one step down upon the level below me . Standing 
there h<^ was almost in my line of sight, and I saw him while watching the 
play. He stood, as I remember, one step above the messenger, and remained 
perhaps one minute looking at the stage and orchestra below. Then he 
drew a number of visiting cards from his pocket, fz'om which, with some at- 
tention, he selected one. He stooped and showed the card to the messenger, 
but as my attention was then more closely fixed on the play, I do not know 
whether the card was carried in by the messenger or his consent given to the 
enti ance of the man who presented it. I saw, however, a few moments after, 
the same man entering the door of the lobby leading to the box, and the 
door closing behind him. This was seen because I could not fail from my 
position to observe it; the door side of the proscenium box and the stage 
were all within the direct and oblique lines of my sight. How long I watched 
the play after seeing him enter I do not know ; it was perhaps two or three 
minutes. The house was perfectly still, the large audience listening to the 
dialogue between "Florence Trenchard'' and "May Meredith" when the sharp 
report of a pistol rang through the house. It was apparently fired bekind 
the scenes, on the right of the stage. Looking toward it and behind the 
Presidential box, while it startled all, it was evidently accepted by every one 
in the theatre as an introduction to some new passage, several of which had 
been inlerpolated in the early part of the play. A moment after, a man 
leaped from the front of the box, directly down, nine feet, and on the stage, 
and ran rapidly across it, bare-headed, and holding an unsheathed dagger in 
his right hand, the blade of which flashed brightlj- in the gas-light as he 
came within ten feet of the opposite rear exit. I did not see his face as he 
leaped or ran, but I am convinced he was the man I saw enter the box. As 
he leaped he cried distinctly the motto of Vii-ginia, " Sic Semper Tyrannis." 
[Others assert that he also shouted, facing the audience as he ran, "The 
South is avenged"] . The hearing of this and the sight of the dagger explained 



398 HISTOKY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

fully to me the nature of the deed he had committed. In an instant he had 
disappeared behind the side scene. Consternation seemed for a moment to 
rivet every one to his seat; the next moment confusion reigned supreme." 

About the tirae that this terrible tragedy was being enacted, 
another phase of the diabolical Assassination Conspiracy was 
occurring at the residence of Secretary Seward. We can best 
give this in the words of Dr. Verdi, the family physician. He 

says : 

" At nine o'clock on the evenine: of the 14th of April, 1865, I had left 
Secretary Seward in a comfortable condition, and his family hopeful of his 
speedy recovery from an accident which he, several days previously, had 
met with, his horses having run away and dashed him from the carriage, 
fracturing his rigrht humerus at the surgical neck, his lower maxillary below 
the angle, and generally bruising him about the face and neck. At a few 
moments after ten p.m., I was hastily summoned by tbe colored boy to 
attend Mr. Seward, his sons and his attendants, who were, as the messenger 
expressed it, 'murcered by an assassin.' Two minutes brought me to the 
spot. I was tbe first medical man there. As I glanced around the room, I 
found terror depicted on every countenance, and blood everywhere. Among 
the bleeding men and terrified ladies I sought for Mr. Seward. He was 
lyiDg on his bed covered with blood, a fearful gaping gash marking his chin 
and extending below the maxillary bone. Hastily I examined his wounds, 
and I bad the joy to bring the first consolation to that anxious family in 
announcing to them that his wounds were not mortal. The carotid artery 
and jugular vein had not been divided or injured. The gash was 
semicircular, commencing just below the high bone of the cheek and 
extending downward toward the mouth and then backward over the 
submaxillary gland, laying open tbe inflamed and swollen part of 
the facB and neck that had been injured by the previous accident. On 
examining further, I found another stab under the left ear, wounding 
the parotid gl md ; but this cut was not very deep. Mr. Seward had lost much 
blood, andl immediately apphed ice to arrest the bleeding temporarily, after 
which I was informed that Frederick Seward was in an adjacent room, also 
injured. I hastily went to him, and found him lying on a lounge with blood 
stieaming over his face. He bad been wounded in several places, viz. : on 
the left parietal bone, just about the parietal eminence on the left side of the 
frontal bone, just about the line of intersection with the parietal: -with two 
other light wounds in that neighborhood. He was net insensible, but could, 
not articulate. In about an hour, however, after his wounds were dressed. 
he fell into a slumber from which, for sixty hours, he could not be aroused. 
I had scarcely finished applying ice to arrest the hemorrhage when I was 
told to look at Mr. Augustus Seward. I became truly amazed. "What, 
said I, 'is there another one wounded ?" His injuries, however, were com- 
paratively slight. One was from a blOAV with the butt end of a pistol, on the 
upper and middle part of the forehead; the other a cut over the metacarpal 



THE ASSAULT ON MR. SEWARD. 399 

bone of the thumb of his right hand. Here I was aerain requested to look at 
another man. My surprise ceased chen, I became terrified. This was the 
man nurse, a soldier in attendancef on Mr. Seward. I f'jund his wounds were 
four in number, all from the blade of a knife— three over the right scapular 
region and one below it. After giving to this patient the requisite attention, 
I was called to see another man who was wounded. He had received but one 
stab in the back over the seventh rib, very near the spinal colum. The knife 
must have glanced off, as the cut was long but quite superficial; had it been 
direct his right lung would have received an irreparable injury. The circum- 
stances of the affair, as I gathered them, were as follows : 

" At ten o'clock the bell at Mr. Seward's house was rung and answered by 
the colored boy. As the door opened a very tall man appeared with a small 
package in his hand, saying that Dr. Verdi had sent him with a prescription 
for Secretary Seward which he must deliver personally. The boy remon- 
strated, saying that Mr. Seward was asleep and that he, the servant, would 
take charge of the prescr.ption. The man said, ' No, I have particular direc- 
tions and I must deliver them myself. ' So saying he walked up stairs, but 
treading very heavily he was reminded by the boy who was following him to 
walk more lightly in order not to disttub Mr. Seward. Mr. Frederick Sew- 
ard was at this time lying, dressed, on a sofa in his room, one adjacent to 
his father's, and hearing heavy footsteps, came into the hall and met the 
stranger, who attempted to enter his father's room. Frederick expostulated 
with him, declaring that his father was asleep and could not be seen. Miss 
Fanny Seward, who was in her father's room, hearing the conversatiOLi out- 
side, opened the door to ascertain what was the mater, but Frederick cried 
out to her to ' b hut the door ' It seems that for two or three minutes the 
assassin hesitated or endeavored to enter without making a deadly assault 
upon Frederick, but meeting with determined opposition he dealt several 
blows on young Seward's head, apparently wi«^h a pistol, with the intention 
probably of disabling with jut killing him. The door was then opened and 
the murderer entered, pushing Frederick, already staggering, before him. 
Then disengaging himself from his adversary he asked Miss Fanny, 'Is the 
Secretary asleep ?' at the same moment making a spring for the bed where 
the unfortunate man sat, aroused with the frightful conviction 
of what was to be expected. The next moment the villain dealt him a blow 
with the deadly knife, which was so violent that, fortunately we may saj, it 
precipitated him from his bed. In falling, however, he must have received 
the second blow, on the other side of the neck It must have been at this 
time that the man nurse Robinson, who had been absent at the hospital, i e- 
lurned and attacked the murderer to prevent him from doing fm'ther injury 
to Mr. Seward. In the endeavor to restrain the ferocity of tho assassin, the 
nurse was struck several times. It was at the moment that the nurse and 
Frederick, who rallied sufficiently to still use his feeble efforts in behalf of 
his poor father, were struggling with this man, that Major Augustus Seward, 
awakened from sleep by the n . ise and screams of Miss Fanny, came into the 
room thinking that probably his father was delirious, and had frightened the 
attendants, or else that the nurse left to watch during the night was in some 



400 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

way misbehaving himself. Tlie major, seeing the struggle, and not at all 
comprehending the facts, took hold of the man, siiJl believing him to be the 
nuise, and dragged him to the door. Of coiirse the assassin took advantage 
oi this, and dealing on*^ blow on the head of the major, and cutting his hand, 
ran down stairs, followed by the major, who did not know the condition of 
affais until he came back t) his father's room. The assassin then mounted 
his horse, which he had left before the door, and rode rapidly away. The 
Avhole tragedy occupied less time than was consumed in relating the circum- 
stance." 

Before proceeding to the narration of Booth's flight and his 
subsequent kiUing by Boston Corbett, it will be necessary to 
trace from scattered incidents some of the features of the entire 
conspiracy. It would appear that some time in the year 1861 
Booth conceived the idea, or had it suggested to him, of kid- 
napping the President and confining him in a house within the 
city limits; this house, belonging to one Mrs. Greene, was dis- 
covered in the course of the investigations after the assassina- 
tion. The underground apartments were fitted with manacles, 
and the whole place was mined, ready for explosion, if it should 
be found impracticable to run the President, after he had been 
caught and gagged, within the Confederate hues. He failed, 
however, to get the right associates, and this scheme was aban- 
doned. He then began to contemplate murder. He visited 
Canada several times, and it is pretty well understood that he 
had conferences with the Confederate agents who w^ere impli- 
cated in the schemes known to have been devised for operation 
on July 4th, 1864, and in consequence of which the Democratic 
Convention was postponed. On one of these occasions Booth 
deposited at the Ontario Bank in Montreal some four hundred 
and fifty dollars. It was through these Canadian visits that 
Booth became connected with Lewis Payne Powell, alias Wood, 
alias Payne, the miscreant who attempted the hfe of Secretary 
Seward. Booth had previously made the acquaintance of Mrs. 
Surratt, whose career it is now necessary to trace in order to 
make our story intelligible. 

Outside the District of Columbia, to the south, in Prince 
George County, is a village called Surrattville. At the time in 
question it consisted of a few cabins at a cross-road, surround- 
ing a hotel, the master whereof, giving the settlement its name, 



PLANS OF THE CONSPIRATORS. 401 

left to his widow, Mrs. Mary E. Surratt, the property. Not 
making niucii of the business she moved into Washington with 
her son and several daughters, rent'ng the hotel to John Lloyd, 
who also engaged to look after the rebel mail route from Mat- 
thias Creek, Virginia, to Port Tobacco, which struck Surratt- 
ville, as one collection and distribution point. Mrs. Surratt was 
frequently at this hotel and Booth was a visitor there and at 
her house in Washington. During the latter part of 1864, 
Booth went from this point as far as Leonardstown, in St. 
Mary's County, ostensibly to buy lands, but really to locate the 
rebel postal stations and make acquRintances. One of these 
was George A. Atzeroth and another David E. Herrold or Har- 
old, who was a gunner, and had friends at every farm-house 
between Washington and Leonardsville. Atzeroth was a 
house-painter, of German descent, who had led a wild life at 
Port Tobacco, and had been a blockade runner across the Po- 
tomac and a mail carrier. When the conspiracy vv^as broached 
to him by Booth and Mrs. Surratt with the promise of a large 
sum of money, he at once went into the scheme and bought 
a dirk and a pistol. Two others, Sam Arnold and Michael 
O'Laughlin, were detailed each to kill a Cabinet officer, but 
they backed out of actual violence. Atzeroth tuok his knife 
and pistol to Kirkwood's, where yice-President Johnson was 
stopping, and secured a room directly over his. But some ac- 
cident disarranged his plans, and without making an attempt on 
Johnson's life, according to programme, h^" iied, leaving every- 
thing behind him. There were found in his room a big bowio 
knife, a Colt's cavalry revolver, secreted under the mattresses of 
his bed. Booth's coat, in the pockets of which were three boxes 
of cartridges, a map of Maryland, gauntlets for riding, a spur, 
and a handkerchief marked with the name of Booth's mother. 
Atzeroth was captured at the house of his uncle in Montgom- 
ery County, Maryland. 

That the murder liad been some time in contemplation and 
the route of escape laid out by Booth and Mrs. Surratt, is shown 
by the facts that six weeks before the assassination young 
Jolmi Surratt took two repeating carbines to Surrattville and 
told John Lloyd to secrete them. He did so by making a hole 



403 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

in the wainscotting and suspending the weapons from strings so 
that they hung within the plastered wall of the room below. 
On the afternoon of the "Assassination Day," Mrs. Surratt 
drove over to Surrattville and told John Lloyd to have the 
weapons ready as they would be called for that night. Herrold 
was made quartermaster and hired the horses. He and Atze- 
roth were mounted between tight o'clock and the time of the 
murder, and riding about the streets of Washington together. 
Three v/eeks before they had been in Port Tobacco and Her- 
rold told "the boys" that when they heard of him again he 
would be in Spain, where there was no extradition treaty, 
while Atzeroth boasted that when he came again, he would 
be rich enough to buy the whole place. Mrs. Surratt sent 
her son northward on Thursday, April 13th. 

We come now to events immediately preceding the tragedy. 
At seven o'clock on Good Friday evening, April 14th, Booth 
came down stairs from his room in the National Hotel, looking 
abnormally pale ; this was commented upon by some of his 
acquaintances and he ascribed it to indisposition. Turning 
to the hotel clerk, Booth asked him if he was going to Ford's 
theatre, adding significantly, " There will he some very fine 
acting there to-night!''' He was next noticed by Mr. Sess- 
ford, ticket agent of the theatre, as he passed in soon 
after the doors were opened. He visited the stage under 
his privilege as a professional, and took note of the sur- 
roundings ; it was probably for the purpose of making sure 
that his confederate, the stage carpenter, had not forgotten 
his instructions in regard to so shifting the scenes that instead 
of the usual tortuous path, a clear exit should be left. It 
was also M'orthy of note that, at a later period, the discovery 
was made of a gimlet hole in the entry door of the Presi- 
dential box. which had been carefully cleared by the aid 
of a penknife. Through this peep-hole Booth, doubtless, 
scanned the position of his victim before entering the box. 
Between the time at which Booth was first seen to enter the 
theatre and the period of the assassination, he visited the 
restaurant next door, and rapping impatiently on the bar, 
called for " Brandy ! brandy ! brandy ! " this was supplied and 



FLIGHT OF BOOTH AND HERROLD. 403 

hurriedly swallowed by the miscreant. We now come to 
Booth's flight. 

Immediately after the assassination Booth met Herrold in 
the next street, and together they rode at a gallop past the 
Patent Office and over Capitol Hill, one of the horses being that 
on which Atzeroth had previously been mounted. Within 
fifteen minutes after the murder the telegraph wires were 
severed entirely round the city, with the single exception of 
a secret wire, for Government uses, leading to Old Point. By 
means of this the Government reached the fortifications around 
Washington, first telegraphing all the way to Old Point and 
then back to the outlying forts. As Booth and Herrold crossed 
the Eastern Branch atUniontown, Booth gave his proper name 
to the officer at the bridge, a shrewd trick, as it afterwards 
threw the detectives off his track, for they naturally supposed 
that this was a device on the part of an accomplice, and they 
therefore hunted in other directions. At midnight the fugi- 
tives reached Surrattville, ten miles distant ; Herrold dis- 
mounted and thundered at the door. When it was opened by 
Lloyd, Herrold pushed in and got a bottle of whisky, which he 
took out to Booth, and then hurried upstairs, returning with 
one of the carbines. Lloyd started to fetch the other, but 
Herrold said: " We don't want it; Booth has broken his leg 
and can't carry it." As they rode off Booth called out to 
Lloyd, "Don't you want to hear some news?' to which Lloyd 
replied : "I don't care much about it I" Booth then said ; 
" We have killed the President and Secretary of State ! '' They 
then dashed off across Prince George's County, and before 
sunrise stopped at the house of Dr. Mudd, three miles from 
Bryantown. They contracted with him for twenty-five dollars, 
in greenbacks, to set the broken leg of Booth, who was intro- 
duced, under another name by Herrold to Dr. Mudd, a previous 
acquaintance of Herrold's. Dr. Mudd remarked that Booth 
draped the lower part of his face during the operation, and 
while evidently in great pain was silent. Having no splints, an 
old fashioned wooden band-box was split up for the purpose. 
An assistant of Dr. Mudd's also hewed out a pair of crutches. 
Booth's riding-boot had to be cut from his foot ; within were 



404 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

the words "J. Wilkes," but this Dr. Mudd professed not to 
have seen. The inferior bone of the left leg was broken verti- 
tically across, and therefore it did not yield when Booth walked 
on it. 

All that day the men hung around the house, but towards 
evening the murderers slipped their horses from the stables and 
rode off along the belt of the swamps below Bryant own. They 
came across a negro named Swan, and they gave him seven 
dollars to show them the way to Allen's Fresh; their reat intent, 
however, was to reach the house of Sam Coxe, a notorious Mary- 
land rebel. They reached there at midnight, and after calling for 
some time, Coxe came to the door with a candle. As soon as 
he recognized his visitors he blew out the light, pulled them into 
the house and left the negro outside with the horses. Here they 
stopped till four o'clock on Sunday morning, the negro observ- 
ing that they ate and drank heartily, but when they came out 
they abused Coxe for his want of hospitality. This was done 
to mislead the darkey, and when he had led them another three 
miles they handed out another five dollars, saying they now 
knew their road. The cute contraband, however, watched them 
and saw that they returned to Coxe's house. 

The next trace of them is on the following Friday, when 
some men at work on Methxy Creek, in Virginia, saw them 
cross in a boat which some white man had tied to a stone in 
the morning. They struck across a ploughed field for King 
George Court House. It is not necessary to trace their further 
movements till we find them at Garrett'b farm, where their 
capture was effected by a force under Lieutenant-Colonel E. J. 
Conger and Lieutenant L. B. Baker. This force had been dis- 
patched from Washington and steamed down to Belle Plain, 
seventy miles from Washington, upon Potomac Creek. Here 
they disembarked and began to scour the country. At Port 
Royal Ferry they found a negro who had driven the fugitives 
towards Bowling Green in a wagon. Next they came across a 
cavalry captain, one of Moseby's disbanded command, and 
when he learned why the men were wanted, he promptly gave 
information which took the searching party back to a house 
which they had passed, occupied by one Garrett. About mid- 



THE ASSASSIN AT BAY. 405 

night they surrounded the house, and when Garrett appeared 
Baker seized him by the throat and demanded the whereabouts 
of his guests. The old man hesitated, and finally attempted to 
assure the officers that the men had left. His son, however, 
came upon the scene, and taking in the situation said : "Father, 
we had better tell the truth about the matter. Those men 
whom you seek, gentlemen, are in the barn, I know. They 
went there to sleep." The bara was promptly surrounded, 
and then Colonel Baker shouted: '* To the persons in this 
barn I have a proposal to make. We are about to send in 
to you the S'm of the man in whose custody you are found. 
Either surrender to him your arms and then give your- 
selves up, or we will set fire to the place. We mean to 
take 5^ou both or to have a bonfire and a shooting match." 
Baker had obtained the key of the padlock and now suddenly 
opened the door and pushed the boy Garrett in. He was heard 
appealing to Booth, and the latter, in reply, cursed him for 
betraying them. Finally the boy came out, reporting the fail- 
ure of his errand. After several other summonses to surrender, 
Booth asked that the force be withdrawn to give him a chance, 
as he would not be taken alive. To this Baker replied, "We 
did not come here to fight, but to capture you. I say again 
appear, or the barn shall be fired." At this Herrold weakened, 
and, after being cursed by Booth, came to the door and was 
dragged out. Colonel Conger then slipped around to the rear 
of the barn, drew some loose straws through a crack and lit 
them In a moment a big blaze went up, and Conger saw 
Boorh, who at first attempted to beat out the fire, but finally 
made a dash for the door with the carbine in his hand. Con- 
trary to orders. Sergeant Boston Corbett drew a bead on him, 
and the assassin fell headlong to the floor. Conger and the 
two sergeants picked up the body and bore it from the fierce 
flames. After water had been dashed in Booth's face, and a 
rag soaked in brandy and water passed between his teeth, the 
miscreant revived sufficiently to articulate, " Tell mother I 
died for my country. I thought I did for the best." He died 
about sunrise, and the body was sewn up in a blanket and the 
cortege moved back to Washington, taking Herrold and two of 



406 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

the Garretts along with the corpse. After identification in 
Washington the Secretary of War committed the body to the 
disposal of Colonel Lafayette C. Baker, of the Secret Service. 
Of its ultimate disposal there is no trace beyond the fact that on 
the night of April 27 th two men in a small row boat carried it 
off. The Secret Service has since resolutely refused to give any 
further details. 

In the meantime the authorities in Washington had been on 
the alert, and at length a descent was made on the house on H 
street North, near Sixth, in Washington, occupied by Mrs. Sur- 
ratt, it having been ascertained that a number of suspicious 
people had gone in and out of there in various disguises. Major 
H. W. Smith, of General Augur's staff, and Captain Wurmers- 
kirch, assistant to Colonel Olcott, found in the house and 
arrested Mrs. M. E, Surratt, Miss Anna Surratt, Miss Honora 
Fitzpatrick and Miss Holahan. They were separately examined 
and made contradictory statements. In the meantime the 
house was searched and evidences of communication with the 
rebel lines, and quite recently with J. Wilkes Booth, justified 
their prompt removal to the Old Capitol prison. Before their 
removal, however, a light knock was heard at the front door, 
and Major Morgan, on opening it, found a young-looking man, 
about five feet eleven inches in stature, light complexion, pecu- 
liarly large gray eyes and hair that had evidently been dyed. 
He wore a gray cassimere coat and vest, fine black cloth panta- 
loons and fine boots ; the latter were well covered with mud 
and he had the appearance of having been lying out in the rain. 
He had a pickaxe on his shoulder. As soon as he saw the 
officers standing with pistols in their hands, he remarked : ** I 
believe I am mistaken," and turned to go away. Major Morgan, 
however, asked who he wished to see ; he replied, "Mrs. Sur- 
ratt." Major Morgan then said : " Mrs. Surratt lives here ; she 
is at home ; walk in ! " Fairly trapped, the assailant of Secre- 
tary Seward walked into custody. 

Lewis Payne Powell, or Payne, as he called himself, when 
quitting Seward's house galloped for the open country, but 
when near Post Lincoln, on the Baltimore pike, his horse threw 
him headlong. Afoot and bewildered, he resolved to return to 



THE GREAT CRIME AVENGEBo 407 

the city, guided by its lights, and taking an abandoned pick 
from the deserted intrenchments, struck out for Mrs Surratt's 
house, where he had boarded under the name of Wood. When 
questioned by his captors as to his business at that time of 
night, he said he had been sent for to dig a trench. Mrs. Surratt 
denied all knowledge of him, and his own statements were 
quite irreconcilable with the facts of his appearance. His 
hands being washed they were found to be soft, and in his 
pockets were tooth and nail brushes and a delicate pocket 
knife. This destroyed all his ' ' poor laboring man " pretensions. 
Gradually a suspicion arose that he was the assailant of Secre- 
taiy Seward, and the domestics of that house were sent for. 
The colored boy threw up his hands in horror, and pointing to 
Powell, said : '* That's the man ! I don't want to see him ! He 
did it; I know him by that lip." 

One by one the various parties implicated in these atrocious 
crimes were hunted down, and after trial by a Military Com- 
mission, found guilty of murder and conspiracy. On the 9th of 
July, David E. Herrold, George A. Atzeroth, Lewis Payne 
Powell and Mary E. Surratt were hanged. Of the other persons 
arrested for complicity, Michael OXaughlin, Dr. Samuel A. 
Mudd and Samuel Arnold were sentenced to imprisonment, at 
hard labor, for life, and Edward Spangler was sentenced to six 
years' hard labor imprisonment. 

We can now turn from this revolting subject. As we have 
seen, Atzeroth abandoned his part of the conspiracy, which in- 
cluded the killing of Andrew Johnson, the Vice-President, and 
thus the absolute anarchy, which had doubtless been part of the 
scheme, was averted. Six hours after Mr. Lincoln's death, Chief- 
Justice Chase administered the presidential oath of office to the 
Vice-President, and thus Andrew Johnson became President of 
the United States. The Lincoln Cabinet, consisting of William 
H. Seward, Secretary of State; Hugh McCuUoch, Secretary of the 
Treasury; Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War; Gideon Welles, 
Secretary of the Navy; John P. Usher, Secretary of the Interior; 
James Speed, Attorney-General; and William Dennison, Post- 
mas er-General, were invited by the new President to retain 
their portfolios. 



408 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

On the 19th of April the funeral services were held in the 
East Room of the White House, where the body of President 
Lincoln had been taken after being embalmed, and then the 
solemn funeral procession started on its route through sorrow- 
ing cities. In Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Albany 
the remains were viewed by liundreds of thousands, and then 
from his private home, in Springfield, Illinois, the honored re- 
mains of the great Martyr were laid in their final resting place. 

On May 2d President Johnson issued a proclamation in which 
a reward of one hundred thousand dollars was offered for the 
arrest of Jefferson Davis and twenty-five thousand dollars for 
the arrest of each of the following: Jacob Thompson, C. C. 
Clay, Oeorge N Saunders and Beverly Tucker ; and ten thou- 
sand dollars for the arrest of William C. Cleary, late clerk of 
C. C. Clay, the proclamation setting forth that there was evi- 
dence in the Bureau of Military Justice that there had been a 
conspiracy formed by them and other rebels and traitors against 
the Government of the United States, harbored in Canada, to 
assassinate the President, the Secretary of State and others. 

On June 3d Lieutenant-General Grant issued an address to 
the army, the work of disbanding having already commenced. 
The address was in the following words : 

Soldiers of the Armies of the United States : By your patriotic devotion 
to your country in the hour of danger and alarm, your magnificent fighting, 
bravery and endurance, you have maintained the supremacy of the Union 
and the Constitution, overthrown all armed opposition to the enforcement of 
the laws, and of the proclamation forever abolishing slavery — the cause and 
pretext of the rebellion — and opened the way to the rightful authorities to 
restore order and inaugm-ate peace on a permanent and enduring basis on 
every foot of American soil. Your marches, sieges and battles, in distance, 
duration, resolution and billiancy of results, dim the lustre of the world's 
past military achievements, and will be the patriot's precedent in defense of 
liberty and right in all time to come. In obedience to your country's call, 
you lef c your homes and families and volunteered in her defense. Victory 
has crowned your valor and seciu-ed the purpose of j'^our patriotic hearts ; 
and, with the gratitude of your countrymen, and the higheso honors a great 
and free nation can accord, you will soon be permitted to return to your 
homes and families conscious of having discharged the highest duty of 
American citizens. To achieve these glorious triumphs, and t:> secure to your- 
selves, your fell )w countrymen, and posterity, the blessings of free institu- 
tions, tens of thousands of your gallant comrades have fallen and sealed the 



A PERSONAL REMINISCENCE. 409 

priceless legacy with their blood. The graves of these a grateful nation be- 
dews with tears, honors their memories, and will ever cherish and support 
their stricken families. 

We might properly close here, but feel impelled to relate the 
capture of Jeff Davis and a little personal reminiscence which 
has some significance in connection with the assassination con- 
spiracy. We will deal with the latter subject first. 
Early in January, 1867, the writer was dining with a friend, 
I Mr. Hill, son of an English M. P., at the Cafe Trois Freres, in 
the Palais Royale, Paris, when a massive looking man took a 
j seat at a neighboring table. He had some difficulty in making 

- an unusually stupid gargon understand his wants and Mr. Hill 
I volunteered assistance, being a fluent French scholar. The 

- offer was accepted, but in a very ungracious manner. How- 
ever, when the dinner had been eaten, and it was a capital 
meal, seasoned with some very fine wine, the ungraciousness of 
the stranger disappeared, and with some reference to the ru- 
mors of an intended yacht race between the Prince of Wales 
and James Gordon Bennett round the Isle of Wight, he opened 
a conversation and invited us to join him over a bottle of wine. 
The offer was accepted on condition that we were allowed to 
reciprocate. In the course of conversation some remark was 
made by the stranger which indicated a very intimate ac- 
quaintance with the affairs of the South. The writer remarked, 
"You seem to be very well informed, sir, as to some 
inside history." Quickly, but with much dignity, came 
the response, * I should think, sir, that the ex-Secretary 
of State of the Southern Confederacy should know whereof he 
speaks I" and he laid down a visiting card on which, in plain, 
unpretentious script, was printed ''Robert Toombs, of Georgia." 
Of course an exchange of cards ensued and then my friend 
Hill, whose sympathies were intensely Union, being the son of 
an English liberal politician, drew out of the conversation. 
Incautiously, perhaps, the writer said : " Mr. Toombs, I should 
like to ask you one question?" "Do so, my young friend," 
was the reply ; "if it is anything about the South, I can tell 
you something ! " Then came the embarrassing query, "Mr. 
Toombs, did you — that is, the Government of which you were 



410 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAE. 

a member — know anything of Booth's intentions with regard to 
Lincoln's assassination? " Tlie face of Mr. Toombs was a study. 
There was an awkward pause, and then slowly, but distinctly, 
he remarked, ** J am very sorry that you have asked me that 
question!'''' Quick as a flash went the retort, "And T, sir, am 
still more sorry that you cannot answer it!" For a moment 
Mr. Toombs looked annoyed, and then, with a motion of his 
hand, he said, "Let us drop that subject." It was never 
broached ag:nn, though we spent some time together the next 
day, during which he stated that he had almost daily inter- 
views with Louis Napoleon, and ventured the prediction that 
another war, in which the West would be hand in hand with 
the South, would certainly occur within ten years. Seventeen 
years have rolled by since then, however, and the prediction of 
Mr. Toombs has not been verified. 

Now let us take up the Jeff Davis matter. General Debrell 
w^.s engaged in the battle near Raleigh, N. C. , when he re- 
ceived intelligence of Lee's surrender, and at the same time 
General Wheeler got a dispatch from Jeff Davis, dated at 
Greensboro, N. C., calling for one thousand picked men to es- 
cort him and what remained of his government to Washoe, 
Ga. Accordingly Debrell was dispatched with the required 
force, and after a march of three days reached Greensboro, at 
which point he found Jeff Davis with his family, Judah P. 
Benjamin, John C. Breckinridge, Senator Burnett, of Ken- 
tucky; J. H. Reagan, Postmaster-General; GustavusA. Harris, 
of Tennessee, and other Confederate officials. As soon as De- 
brell arrived the party prepared to march and they set out on 
the following day. Jeff Davis and the other officials rode in 
front, followed by ambulances containing the women and chil- 
dren and the specie, currently reported among the officers to 
amount to eleven millions of dollars. It was put up in heavy 
iron bound kegs and boxes and had a guard of one thousand 
men led by General Debrell. At a point five miles from Greens- 
boro they encamped, Davis and his family taking up their 
quarters in a house in the vicinity. The following day Davis 
visited the camp and made a stirring speech adverting to the 
disasters that had overtaken their beloved Confederacy, but 



ESCAPE OF JEFF. DAVIS. 411 

giving them every assurance that they were not irrevocably 

lost. 
On again taking up the line of march, Jeff Davis had by his 

side young Colonel Johnston, son of General Albert Sidney 

Johnston. They camped next at Charlotte, N. C. , and here 

Davis harangued the men again, extolling their patriotism. 

Here they were joined by Basil Duke, Ferguson and Vaughn, 

with some troops, increasing the escort to five thousand men. 

The new-comers began to talk, and then the whole party were 

suddenly reminded that the Government was slightly indebted 

to them, and as the treasure was at hand, the idea of presenting 

their bills very naturally arose. Davis still tried to conciliate, 

but it was evident that a crisis was approaching. They reached 

Abbeville, S. C, and on the 6th of May, Davis found that 

something more potent than j)romises was necessary. The 

treasure was opened and the division of Debrell, with the 

brigades of Duke, Ferguson and Vaughn, were formed in line. 

Some of the men were paid $30, some $28, and some $20 in 

gold and silver, the coin being chiefly Mexican dollars. 

In the evening Duke sent his Adjutant-General, Captain 
Davis, to notify all his men who wished to go west of the Mis- 
sissippi River to report at 11 o'clock the following day. At the 
appointed time all the men reported, but Duke would take only 
those who were armed, leaving the rest to shift for themselves. 
Heaping curses on Duke they went with heavy hearts to 
Washoe, Georgia, and surrendered to General Wilson, together 
with the brigades of Ferguson and Vaughn. The command of 
Debrell escorted Jeff Davis to Vienna Valley, on the west bank 
of the Savannah River, about twenty miles from Washington, 
Georgia, where the grand dissolution took place on the 9th of 
May. 

At this point Benjamin, Breckinridge, Burnett and several 
others took their departure. Jeff Davis and suite crossed the 
river and the other portion of the government galloped off to 
Washington. The division of spoils was very unequal. Some 
of the officers got one hundred dollars and others a bare pit- 
tance. Stoneman's cavalry were close on the party, and Davis 
supposed he could deceive them into following the Confederate 



412 HISTORY OF THE CIVIL WAR. 

troops. So ill the melee over the division Davis and his fol- 
lowers escaped across country. Davis and Postmaster Reagan, 
witli Colonels Lubbock and Johnston, were in Washington to 
" se+tle some business," as they said, and did not join the party, 
in the camp which was surprised, until the 10th of May. This 
camp was in a pine forest on one side of the Abbeyville road, 
about one mile from Irwinsville, Irwin County, Georgia. It con- 
sisted of a large wall tent, containing only Davis and his 
family, and an ordinary "fly" containing the male portion of 
the caravan. Surrounding and contiguous to these were two 
common army wagons, two ambulances, and the usual camp 
paraphernalia. Here, on the morning of the 11th, Lieutenant- 
Colonel Pritchard, Fourth Michigan Cavalry, and Lieutenant- 
Colonel Hardin, First Wisconsin Cavalry, coming from opposite 
directions, surprised them; but the surprise was partly destroyed 
by the fact that the two commands, mistaking each other in the 
early dawn, fired upon one another. This stirred the camp, 
and Davis attempting to escape in his sleeping dress, with a 
shawl thrown over his head, was captured. There appears to 
be some discrepancy in the accounts of his costume, and proba- 
bly there is exaggeration in the "woman's dress" disguise 
about which so much sensationalism has been written. At any 
rate the whole party were captured, and, under escort of Colonel 
Pritchard, were taken to Macon, where they arrived on the 
afternoon of May 12th. 

Arriving at the Lanier House, General Wilson's headquarters, 
the prisoners were treated to an excellent dinner. After dinner 
Reagan obtained an interview with General Wilson and begged 
permission to accompany Davis, as he had shared his prosperity 
and did not wish to desert him in adversity. On his expressing 
gratitude for the permission. General Wilson replied, "You 
are under no obligation, sir ; for I should have sent you, 
whether you wanted to go or not. You are a civilian prisoner, 
and he is a prisoner, both military and civil." The party were 
joined here by Clement C. Clay and wife, they having come 
from their home, Lagrange, and surrendered to General Wil- 
son. From here they were sent to Savannah, and then Davis 
was sent by sea to Fortress Monroe, where he was confined in a 



DISBANDING THE ARMY. 413 

caBemate until released on bail, when he went to Europe and 
remained there for some time. Judge Reagan and Alexander 
H. Stephens, who were arrested about the same time, were sent 
to Fort Warren, Boston Harbor. They were released on parole 
a few months afterward. 

We approach the close of our task. For many omissions we 
ask pardon, but feel that in contemplating the vastness of the 
field of operations we shall not be harshly dealt with for some 
unavoidable errors. 

The army was rapidly disbanded after the 1st of June, 1865, 
and by the autumn some 786,000 officers and men had been 
mustered out of service. The Records of the War Department 
show that the whole number of men called into service during 
the war was 2,656,553. Of these, 1,490,000 were in actual ser- 
vice. Nearly 50,000 were killed on the field, about 35,000 were 
mortally wounded, and about 184,000 died of disease in the 
hospitals and camps. The total loss on both sides has been 
estimated to reach fully one milUon able-bodied men, but of the 
money cost not even an approximate estimate can be formed. 

Long live the RepubHc ! May the Stars and Stripes never 
again meet the Stars and Bars to disturb the peace of the 
greatest Republic that ever flourished in the history of the 
world I 



APPENDIX. 



As an illustration of the world-wide sympathy evoked by the 
cruel assassination of Mr. Lincoln, the following poem, from the 
London Punch of May 6th, 1865, may be quoted. It should be 
noted that this professedly comic periodical had almost exhaust- 
ed its stock of satire in efforts to belittle the United States, Presi- 
dent Lincoln and the Union party, but in the face of so abomi- 
nable a crime as that of Booth, the motley of the jester was 
exchanged for sable, and even the bells on liis doffed cap were 
muffled : 

ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 

BORN FEBRUARY I2th, i8og, DIED APRIL 15, 1865. 

He had been born a destined work to do. 
And lived to do it; four long-suflEering years— 

Ill-fate, ill-feeling, ill-report lived through— 
And then he heard the hisses change to cheers, 

The taunts to tribute, the abuse to praise, 
And took them both with his unwavering mood; 

But as he came on light, from darkest days. 
And seemed to touch the goal from where he stood, 

A felon hand, between that goal and him, 
Reached from behind his head, a trigger prest. 

And those perplexed and patient eyes were dim. 
Those gaunt long laboring limbs were laid to rest ! 

The words of mercy were upon his lips. 

Forgiveness in his heart and on his pen, 
When this vile murderer brought swifc eclipse 

To thoughts of peace on earth, good will to men. 

The Old World and the New, from sea to sea. 

Utter one voice of sympathy and shame I 
Sore heart, so stopped when it at last beat free, 

Sad life, cut short just as its triumph came 1 



APPENDIX. 415 

A deed accurst ! Strokes have been struck before 

By the assassin's hand, whereof men doubt 
If more of horror or disg;race they bore; 

But thy foul crime, like Cain's stands darkly out I 

Vile hand ! that branded murder on a strife, 
What e'er its grounds, stoutly and nobly striven, 

And with the martyr's crown crownest a life 
With much to praise, little to be forgiven. 



